Austin Butler and Tom Hanks attend the “Elvis” UK special screening at BFI Southbank on May 31, 2022 in London, England.Photo:Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
In a recently publishedThe Sunday Timesprofile, Butler, 31, said that Hanks pitched the World War II-focused miniseries to him while they were at dinner some time after completing last year’sElvis, in which Butler starred as legendary musicianElvis Presleyand Hanks, 67, portrayed Presley’s manager Colonel Tom Parker.
“ ‘You have immersed yourself so deeply in Elvis that, for your mental health, it would be wise to go straight into something else,’ " Butler recalled Hanks saying during that dinner. " ‘If you just jump off the train, you might have emotional whiplash . . . ' "
" ‘And, you know, I’ve got this thing I’m producing,’ " the actor added to the outlet of Hanks’ pitch.
Butler famously grew attached to speaking in Presley’s accent even months after the film released in June 2022. In February, he said he was finally “getting rid of the accent” as he prepared to film his role in the upcomingDune: Part Two.
Warner Bros.
“It’s what I realised doingElvis— that forced me to go to the very edge of what is possible, and not every experience will be like that,” he toldThe Sunday Timesof his experience filming the Baz Luhrmann-directed movie. Butler received anAcademy Awardnomination for the role, though Brendan Fraser ultimatelywon the award for Best Actorfor his performance inThe Whale.
“I don’t think I’ll ever have an experience like that again, but if I have to really dig, it makes me feel alive,” Butler added to the outlet.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
After Butler won aGolden Globe Awardin January forElvis, the actor said backstage that he “didn’t even think about” whether he might’ve been still using some of the character’s distinct cadence inhis acceptance speech.
“I don’t think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it all the time,” Butler said at the time. “I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time. I had three years where that was my only focus, so I’m surethere’s pieces of him in my DNAand I will always be linked to him.”
PA Images/INSTARimages.com
Butler will next appear as the antagonist Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen inDune: Part Twoalongside costars Timotheé Chalamet, Zendaya and Stellan Skarsgard, among others. The movie releases Nov. 3.
source: people.com
