'Elvis' director Baz Luhrmann opened up about Lisa Marie's feelings on 'The Jess Cagle Show.'
Baz Luhrmann is opening up about the reason why there was a sense of relief from Lisa Marie Presley after Austin Butler won a Golden Globe for Best Actor.
During an interview on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show, the Elvis director revealed that despite losing contact during the filming of her father's biopic, the director and the producers behind the film were so lovingly embraced by Lisa Marie after he screened the film for her ahead of the Golden Globes.
"So, comes the moment that I screened the film to her, and honestly, from that very emotional moment on, we were embraced into the family," Luhrmann said. "I mean, we were brought back to Graceland to have a barbecue and hang out in the jungle room, having cocktails. And it was so joyous."
Then, heading into the Golden Globes, Luhrmann described why there was "tension" leading up to the awards show.
"There was so much tension going towards the Globes that, a night before, I think we had Elvis' birthday and it was such a happy time. And then there were the Globes. And then when Austin won the Globe for Best Actor, just the sense; she was so articulate about the sense of relief, she felt that her father -- who had not been, who had somehow fallen out of the reasonable place -- should be in the hearts and minds of not just American culture but world culture, that that had been reinstated. And she felt so good about it. So it only amplified the total shock and just the sadness what was to come next."
Just days after being in the audience watching Butler win a Golden Globe for his deft portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll, Lisa Marie died in Los Angeles after she was rushed to the hospital after going into full cardiac arrest. She was 54. Speaking to ET at the ceremony, Lisa Marie shared her adoration for Butler.
"It was mind-blowing. Truly mind-blowing," Lisa Marie said of Butler's performance in the film. "I really didn’t know what to do with myself after I saw it. I had to take, like, five days to process it because it was so incredible and so spot on and just so authentic that, yeah, I can't even describe what it meant."
Earlier this week, Luhrmann shared with ET that Priscilla Presley was initially skeptical about Butler portraying her ex-husband, despite the fact that Butler had fully committed to learning The King's songs, mannerisms, and, of course, his iconic voice.
"[Priscilla] was quite cynical about how this young kid could, in fact, manifest her husband," he shared, noting that the family has had their share of "disappointments" when it comes to portrayals of Elvis onscreen. "I remember Priscilla said, 'I know I was hard on you,' she wrote me an email... She said, 'Every wink, every move, if my husband was here he would say, 'Hot damn, you are me!''"
Butler is now up for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Following his Oscar nomination, the 31-year-old actor paid tribute to Lisa Marie.
"[This role] seemed as though it was this impossible mountain to climb in front of me. There were so many pitfalls and so I just was focusing on one step at a time," Butler told The Hollywood Reporter. "And that’s why those moments when Lisa Marie and Priscilla [Presley] got to see the film and then I first saw them after… nothing I would do would ever top that. And especially with Lisa Marie not being here with us. I just wish she was here to celebrate today with us."
The 95th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be handed out live at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on March 12 starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC. In the meantime, stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete Oscars coverage.
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