When casting for the titular role in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis,” the director embarked on a worldwide search to find the perfect crooner, according to Denise Chamian, the casting director for the movie, per Variety. While others were seriously considered for the part, Austin Butler just had a certain something that even Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller didn’t have for the role. Chamian was so certain of the casting choice that upon introducing Butler to Luhrmann, she told the director that he was his Elvis, Chamian told Variety.
Butler’s taped performance of “Unchained Melody” is what really sold it. In describing the self-tape, Chamian told the outlet, “He sat down at a piano. He’d had a dream about his mom who had passed away a few years ago, so there was a feeling of melancholy … I thought it was amazing.” Luhrmann made clear that he doesn’t audition folks for roles, instead, he workshops them to see how they fit with the project, as the director told Fitzy & Wippa in 2022 (via People). So, in building up these roles, he’s also deciphering who won’t fit his very specific vision. He explained that, in terms of not casting Styles in “Elvis,” he had a specific reason for making that call. “The real issue with Harry is, he’s Harry Styles. He’s already an icon,” Luhrmann told Howard Stern (via People).
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