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Austin Butler’s “Elvis” accent has been hitting headlines for weeks, but he’s now announced he’s planning on getting rid of it.
The actor, who has been enjoying awards season success due to his lead role in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, tells Graham Norton on the latest episode of his talk show, “I am getting rid of the accent, but I have probably damaged my vocal cords with all that singing. One song took 40 takes!”
Butler adds of what it was like working with Tom Hanks, who plays Elvis’s legendary manager Colonel Parker, “I had no idea what it was going to be like meeting someone you have admired for so long.
“You hope they would be warm to you, but you never really know. He is such a master of his craft, and I was intimidated, but the first time I met him he gave me the biggest bear hug and joked about how nervous he was.
“When I said I was terrified, he said, ‘And, nobody knows what Colonel Parker sounds like, but everyone knows what Elvis sounds like!’”
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Austin Butler Is Getting Trolled By Fans Over His ‘Fake’ Elvis Voice At The Golden Globes
After winning a Golden Globe last month, Butler is now in the running for the Best Lead Actor gong at this year’s Oscars.
The star gushes, “It has been a whirlwind and it’s amazing because when you are making a film you never really know how it will be received.
“With this one there were so many ways it could go wrong so to be received in the way it has means the world to me.”
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Austin Butler Says He Got ‘So Close, So Fast’ With Lisa Marie Presley: ‘It’s Just Devastating’
The latest chat about Butler’s “Elvis” accent comes after he first sparked debate about still sounding like the late icon when he appeared at the Golden Globes.
Speaking with Australia’s ABC Gold Coast, voice coach Irene Bartlett shared her take on the accent, which many have accused of being fake.
“What you saw in that Golden Globes speech, that’s him. It’s genuine, it’s not put on,” she said. “I feel sorry people are saying that, you know, it’s still acting [but] he’s actually taken [the voice of Presley] on board.”
She added at the time that the Elvis accent may well “be there forever.”