Baz Luhrmann: Why ‘Elvis’ timing was ‘right,’ praises Austin Butler’s ‘devotion’ to role

nypost.com:

BFI’s “Baz Luhrmann in conversation” event in London.“There are two great American gestures, I think. The two that really fascinate me are the ‘big sell’ – the ability to sell well, and the other is the gesture of the new,” Luhrmann explained. “Particularly 50s, 60s, 70s – the ‘new.’ Elvis represents the new.

He happened to be in one of the few White Houses during his life, and in the Black community and absorbing the Black community and mixing it with country.”The film focused on the Rock-‘n’-Roll icon’s rise to fame and offered a unique glimpse into his working relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.“Colonel is the big sell, an evil genius.

I had cracked the colonel thing about five years ago and I was just feeling that one of them is getting wildly out of balance with the other in our own culture,” Luhrmann said, adding that his main focus was for the film to be “all about the sell.” “So I thought this idea of the colonel and Elvis has a resonance to the audience.

And that made me pull the trigger. That made me commit,” he revealed.“Elvis” grossed $285 million worldwide following its release in June, surpassing its budget of $85 million as lead actor Austin Butler stepped into the blue suede shoes, with Luhrmann previously saying Butler was simply “born to play” the role.But Butler’s onscreen delivery in the 2-hour-39-minute biopic — which has been applauded far and wide, including by immediate relatives of Presley’s — took a lot of sacrifice on his part.“Austin never broke character,” Luhrmann said. “He was in character 24/7, 7 days a week for two years.