Introduction Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley
Austin Butler won headlines and an Oscar nomination for playing Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 blockbuster. But barely a year later, Jacob Elordi — the Euphoria and Saltburn star — stepped into the same blue suede shoes for an entirely different kind of Elvis story. The problem is that most articles either confuse the two performances or barely explain what makes Elordi’s version worth watching.
Here’s the frustrating part: if you actually want to know how Jacob Elordi prepared for the role, what makes his Elvis Presley different, and whether his performance holds up against Austin Butler’s, most search results just skim the surface.
This guide fixes that. Below, you’ll get a complete, accurate breakdown of Jacob Elordi’s Elvis Presley role in Priscilla — how he landed it, how he transformed for it, and exactly how his performance compares to the other major Elvis on screen.
[Suggested image Jacob Elordi in character as Elvis Presley in Priscilla. “Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla movie”] & more blogs to see fresh .
Did Jacob Elordi Really Play Elvis Presley?
Yes. Jacob Elordi stars as Elvis Presley in Priscilla, a biopic directed by Sofia Coppola and based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me. The film centers on Priscilla Presley’s life and her relationship with Elvis, with Elordi playing the rock and roll icon and Cailee Spaeny starring as Priscilla.
This wasn’t Hollywood’s only recent Elvis role. Austin Butler had already tackled the part in an Oscar-nominated performance in the 2022 film Elvis, which makes Jacob Elordi technically the second major actor to play the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll within a two-year span — a rare instance of a real historical figure being portrayed by two different A-list actors in back-to-back films.
Featured Snippet Answer: Jacob Elordi plays Elvis Presley in the 2023 Sofia Coppola film Priscilla, based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me, co-starring Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla.
How Jacob Elordi Got the Role of Elvis Presley
According to Elordi, he was cast after receiving an email that director Sofia Coppola wanted to meet with him. Reports of his casting alongside Cailee Spaeny first surfaced in September 2022, with the film set to begin production in Toronto that autumn.
Coppola’s involvement mattered enormously to the project’s tone. Coppola reunited with several longtime collaborators on the film, including production designer Tamara Deverell, costume designer Stacey Battat, editor Sarah Flack, and cinematographer Philippe Le Sourd — a creative team known for atmospheric, character-driven storytelling rather than large-scale spectacle.
Elordi has been candid about how he approached the role differently than expected. He said he tried to treat the project like a straightforward relationship drama rather than a larger-than-life musical biopic, calling that mindset his personal goal for the performance.
Jacob Elordi’s Elvis Presley Transformation
Nailing the Voice
Elordi didn’t need extensive vocal coaching to find Elvis’s register. He explained that his naturally deep voice already sits in a similar range to Elvis’s, and that he had absorbed the star’s speech patterns from listening to nearly every recorded word Elvis Presley ever said.
The bigger challenge wasn’t the voice — it was capturing Elvis’s physical presence. Elordi described trying to replicate the distinct, almost internal energy behind the way Elvis moved and spoke, calling it something that seemed to come from deep inside him.</cite>
Physical Transformation and Costuming
Elordi has spoken about the moment his transformation into Elvis first felt real, describing his excitement after seeing himself in full costume for the first time and immediately calling his mom and agent to show them.
That transformation extended to the film’s approach to its supporting cast as well. Priscilla also features Raine Monroe Boland and Emily Mitchell playing Lisa Marie Presley at different ages, alongside Dagmara Domińczyk, Jorja Cadence, Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll, and Luke Humphrey.
[Suggested image: Behind-the-scenes photo of Jacob Elordi’s Elvis costume and hair styling. “Jacob Elordi Elvis Presley costume transformation behind the scenes Priscilla”]
Inside the Jacob Elordi Elvis Movie: Priscilla (2023)
Plot Overview
Priscilla is based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir and focuses on the unseen side of Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, according to A24’s official synopsis.The memoir itself became both a commercial success and a New York Times bestseller after its release.
Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley were married from 1967 to 1973, and the film traces the emotional arc of their relationship well before and after that period — including its beginning years earlier. The book that inspired the film details how the couple first met when Priscilla was just 14 years old and Elvis was 24, continuing through the years leading to their eventual divorce.
How Priscilla Differs From a Typical Elvis Biopic
Unlike a traditional music biopic centered on career milestones and concert performances, Priscilla deliberately shifts the lens. The film follows Elvis Presley’s life from Priscilla Presley’s perspective rather than his own, which changes both the pacing and the emotional focus of Elordi’s performance.
This perspective shift is the single biggest reason the two Hollywood Elvis performances feel so different, even though both actors are playing the same real person.
Jacob Elordi Elvis Comparison: Priscilla vs. Austin Butler’s Elvis
Side-by-Side Performance Comparison
| Category | Jacob Elordi (Priscilla, 2023) | Austin Butler (Elvis, 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Director | Sofia Coppola | Baz Luhrmann |
| Narrative focus | Priscilla Presley’s perspective | Elvis’s career and rise to fame |
| Performance style | <cite index=”25-1″>More muted and emotionally raw</cite> | Larger-than-life, performance-heavy |
| Musical numbers | <cite index=”25-1″>Light on hip-thrusts and ballads</cite> | Central to the film’s structure |
| Critical reception | <cite index=”25-1″>Considered overlooked at the time, but increasingly praised in retrospect</cite> | Widely praised, Oscar-nominated |
| Studio | A24 | Warner Bros. |
Pros of Elordi’s Approach
- Offers a more intimate, character-driven portrayal
- Avoids competing directly with Butler’s Oscar-nominated performance by taking a different angle
- Benefits from Coppola’s understated, atmospheric directing style
Cons of Elordi’s Approach
- Received less mainstream attention at release than Butler’s performance
- The muted style may feel less dynamic to viewers expecting a traditional music biopic
- Comparisons to Butler’s performance can overshadow Elordi’s distinct interpretation
How Critics and Audiences Reacted
At release, Elordi’s performance was largely eclipsed by the cultural moment surrounding Austin Butler’s Elvis.Because Butler’s film dominated the spotlight and operated on a much larger scale, Elordi’s performance in Priscilla was frequently overlooked by comparison.
However, critical opinion has shifted over time.Some critics now argue that Elordi’s performance is actually a more revealing and striking dramatization of Elvis, despite lacking the musical showstoppers audiences associate with the character. Priscilla is increasingly viewed as one of Sofia Coppola’s most personal and carefully crafted films, joining the ranks of Marie Antoinette, Somewhere, and The Bling Ring as work expected to be reevaluated favorably over time.
The role also proved to be a career turning point for Elordi. His performance in Priscilla is now credited as a key moment that helped cement his reputation as a serious dramatic actor, setting the stage for later prestige projects.
Why This Matters
Understanding the difference between Jacob Elordi’s and Austin Butler’s Elvis performances isn’t just trivia — it reflects a broader trend in modern biopics: telling the same story from radically different angles. Priscilla proves that a well-known historical figure can be reinterpreted meaningfully depending on whose perspective the story centers.
For film fans and students of acting alike, comparing these two performances offers a useful case study in how direction, narrative point of view, and performance style can completely change the emotional weight of playing the same real person.
Expert Recommendations for Watching Priscilla
- Watch Priscilla with a different mindset than Elvis (2022). Approach it as a relationship drama first, not a music biopic, to appreciate what Elordi and Coppola were going for.
- Pay attention to subtlety, not spectacle. Elordi’s performance rewards close viewing of small physical and vocal choices rather than big musical numbers.
- Read Priscilla Presley’s memoir, Elvis and Me, for additional context before or after watching, since the film draws directly from her account.
- Watch both films back-to-back for the fullest comparison — seeing Butler’s and Elordi’s interpretations close together highlights how differently the same figure can be portrayed.
Common Mistakes People Make About Jacob Elordi’s Elvis Role
- Assuming Elordi and Butler played Elvis in the same film. They starred in two completely separate, unrelated projects released about a year apart.
- Expecting a musical biopic. Priscilla is a relationship drama told from Priscilla’s point of view, not a traditional concert-driven Elvis story.
- Overlooking Elordi’s vocal preparation. Many assume he underwent intensive coaching, when in fact <cite index=”24-1″>he attributed much of his vocal fit to his naturally deep voice and years of familiarity with Elvis’s recorded speech.</cite>
- Dismissing the performance based on initial box office attention. Critical reassessment has grown more favorable toward Elordi’s performance over time.
FAQs
Did Jacob Elordi play Elvis Presley in a movie?
Yes. Jacob Elordi plays Elvis Presley in Priscilla, Sofia Coppola’s 2023 biopic based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me.
What movie does Jacob Elordi play Elvis in?
He plays Elvis Presley in Priscilla (2023), co-starring Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley, with the film released in theaters on November 3.
Is Jacob Elordi’s Elvis the same as Austin Butler’s Elvis?
No. They are separate films. Austin Butler played Elvis Presley in the 2022 Baz Luhrmann film Elvis, while Jacob Elordi played the role in the 2023 Sofia Coppola film Priscilla.
How did Jacob Elordi prepare to play Elvis Presley?
He relied on his naturally deep voice, which he said already matched Elvis’s register, and extensive familiarity with Elvis’s recorded speech to develop the character’s voice and mannerisms.
Was Priscilla told from Elvis’s perspective or Priscilla’s?
The film follows Elvis Presley’s life from Priscilla Presley’s perspective, distinguishing it from a traditional Elvis-centered biopic.
Did Priscilla Presley approve of Jacob Elordi’s performance?
Priscilla Presley called Sofia Coppola’s work on the film “amazing” and said the director “did her homework,” though she also described watching her own life portrayed onscreen as very difficult.
Is Jacob Elordi’s Elvis performance considered better than Austin Butler’s?
Opinions vary. Some critics argue Elordi’s performance is more emotionally revealing, even though it received less attention than Butler’s at the time of release.
Conclusion
Jacob Elordi’s Elvis Presley isn’t a copy of Austin Butler’s — it’s a completely different portrait of the same man, filtered through Priscilla Presley’s own memories and told with Sofia Coppola’s quiet, character-first style. Where Butler’s Elvis commanded the stage, Elordi’s Elvis lives in small, intimate moments — a softer, more vulnerable read on an icon most people only know as larger than life.If you’ve only seen one Hollywood Elvis, Priscilla is worth the watch precisely because it asks you to see him differently. And if you’ve already watched both, you’re in a rare position to judge two completely different interpretations of the same real person, made just a year apart.
