Hear Austin Butler's Voice From Before He Played Elvis Presley

Before he stepped into the role of the King of Rock and Roll in the Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic Elvis, Austin Butler's voice sounded much different. To take on the role of the icon, Butler embraced all aspects of Elvis Presley, including his iconic voice and accent, a voice that, for better or worse, has stuck with him long after the movie wrapped filming and racked up critical praise and numerous awards nominations. But in interviews from his pre-Elvis era, Butler had no inklings of the accent in his speech.

Portraying the rock and roll legend was no easy feat and was something that required years of preparation, with Butler acquiring method acting techniques to fully immerse himself in the role. Along with that came a change to his voice that made some Elvis fans do a double-take. Butler's Elvis accent drew plenty of praise of comments, especially when fans noticed that it seemed to be something he couldn't shake. In post-filming interviews leading up to the film's debut and as Elvis began to gain traction on the awards circuit, many noticed that Butler continued to sound exactly like Presley.

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People can’t get over AustinButler's voice after Elvis; here’s him back in 2011 at the premiere of Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure! #elvispresley #elvismovie #oscars #academyawards

♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

"I don't even think about it. I don't think I sound like him still, but I guess I haven't noticed 'cause I hear it a lot," Butler told Entertainment Tonight in January when asked about the change to his voice. "I think, I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time, and I had three years where that was my only focus in life, so I'm sure that there's just pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way."

Butler later revealed during an appearance on BBC One's Graham Norton Show in February that the accent was beginning to fade. The Dune: Part Two star said, "I am getting rid of the accent, but I have probably damaged my vocal cords with all that singing," explaining that "one song took 40 takes. It made me self-conscious for a second because I thought, 'Am I being phony? Is this not my voice?'"

Butler received critical praise for his portrayal of the titular singer in the film, the actor even winning Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama at the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards. The film, meanwhile, earned several awards nominations, including for Best Picture by The Academy.