LOS ANGELES — Austin Butler received his first Academy Award nomination for his performance as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis."
In the film, the 31-year-old Butler plays the musical icon from a pre-fame teenager to his death at age 42. The film explores Presley's relationship with his longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks, and has gone on to be a box office sensation, earning more than $287 million worldwide.
Also nominated for lead actor were Brendan Fraser for "The Whale," Colin Farrell for "The Banshees of Inisherin," Paul Mescal for "Aftersun" and Bill Nighy for "Living." Besides Butler, "Elvis" earned eight other nominations, including best picture.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Butler spoke about the essential challenge of playing someone as well known as Elvis Presley.
"That was the test that I saw in front of me," said Butler. "How do you take Elvis, who's seen as this icon or this caricature, strip all that away and find out who he really was as a man?"
Butler was born in Anaheim and began acting as a teenager, landing roles in TV shows "Hannah Montana," "iCarly" and "Zoey 101." Butler made his Broadway debut in 2018 in a production of "The Iceman Cometh," starring Denzel Washington. He appeared in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 "Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood" as Manson family member Charles "Tex" Watson, and will also soon be seen in the upcoming "Dune: Part Two."
For his portrayal of Elvis Presley, Butler has also won numerous other awards, including a Golden Globe, and is currently a BAFTA nominee.
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