Austin Butler says transforming into Elvis Presley for biopic included sleepless nights, waking up in ‘terror’

Austin Butler revealed he was “All Shook Up” over portraying Elvis Presley.

The 31-year-old actor confessed it was an intense experience preparing for his role, as he felt an immense amount of pressure to live up to the legendary singer. 

In addition to the intimidating process, Butler admitted it was difficult to perfect his craft amid the coronavirus lockdowns, as he studied Presley for two years ahead of the movie.

AUSTIN BUTLER WAS HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING ‘ELVIS’ BIOPIC PRODUCTION

“And then once I was allowed to leave the apartment… I would usually wake up every day around 3 or 4 in the morning with this terror,” he explained during an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Austin Butler confessed it was an intense experience preparing for his role as Elvis Presley, as he felt an immense amount of pressure to live up to the legendary singer.
(Getty Images)

“It was just such a daunting thing, and I really just was guided by my terror.”

PRISCILLA PRESLEY PRAISES ‘ELVIS’ BIOPIC STARRING AUSTIN BUTLER

In March 2021, Butler was diagnosed with a virus and was hospitalized for a week after he wrapped production. 

In March 2021, Butler was diagnosed with a virus and was hospitalized for a week after he wrapped production on "Elvis."
(Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic))

“The next day I woke up at 4 in the morning with excruciating pain, and I was rushed to hospital,” Butler told GQ last May.

“My body just started shutting down the day after I finished ‘Elvis.’”

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Tom Hanks and Austin Butler attend the Sydney premiere of "Elvis" in Australia.
(Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Butler told the late-night talk show host that he had a challenging time nailing the king of rock ‘n’ roll’s laugh while working on different techniques.

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He added that he created a compilation of Presley’s laughs and said he would practice his impersonation in public.

“I’d walk down the beach for hours, with a headphone in, laughing as Elvis… it looked like this man was absolutely out of his mind,” Butler laughed.

Before his role as Elvis, Butler starred in Quentin Tarantino’s film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” He described what it was like working with the famed director.

“It was greater than I could’ve imagined, he’s all those things that I thought he would be… an amazing filmmaker, a visionary and a great leader,” the “Elvis” star said.