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Austin Butler's Elvis accent might be here to stay.
The Golden Globe Award-winning actor caused a stir during his acceptance speech for Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture last week when he stood on stage speaking in that Memphis drawl he's been talking in for the past few years thanks to his role in Elvis. The internet was quick to quip about "When tf is Austin Butler going to DROP THE ELVIS ACCENT!"
Butler was even asked about it by reporters after the award show. "Yeah, I didn't even think about it. I don't think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it a lot. I often liken it to when someone lives in another country for a long time. I had three years where that was my only focus in life so I'm sure that there are just pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way," he said.
Butler's voice coach Irene Bartlett is weighing in now, too. "What you saw in that Golden Globes speech, that's him. It's genuine, it's not put on. I feel sorry people are saying that, you know, it's still acting (but) he's actually taken (the voice of Elvis) on board," she said on ABC's Gold Coast earlier this week, Page Six reports.
While it's unclear how long Austin could sound like Elvis, Bartlett said the accent could "be there forever." "Because of COVID shutdowns, he was working on it all the time and it's difficult to switch off something you've spent so much focus (and) time on," she continued.
When Elvis wrapped filming, Butler shared he was hospitalized due to the toll the movie took on his body. He was diagnosed with a virus that simulated appendicitis and spent a week bedridden. "You can lose touch with who you actually are," Butler told GQ about stepping into the role of Elvis. "And I definitely had that when I finished Elvis — not knowing who I was."