Austin Butlers portrayal in Elvis (2022) earned him praise from critics and viewers alike, as well as nominations and wins in the “best actor” category for a number of major awards. In contrast, the 31-year-old actor spoke about the nutritional challenges he had to overcome to play Elvis Presley, the King of Rock & Roll.
Butler was heard talking about eating “microwave ice cream” after being inspired by Ryan Gosling in a Variety Awards Circuit podcast recording posted by the magazine on its website on Feb. 16. He also ate “two dozen donuts” daily to maintain the weight needed to portray an elderly Presley.
Austin Butler says in the video:
“When Ryan Gosling was filming ‘The Lovely Bones,’ I heard he microwaved and drank Häagen-Dazs. So I started doing that. I’d go out and get two dozen donuts and devour them all.
The Dead Don’t Die star also said eating so many calories made him feel bad about himself.
“I started to gain weight quickly. It’s fun for a week, and then you feel terrible about yourself. But we initially planned to film in chronological order. With COVID, it quickly became obsolete. That was just impossible.”
Nevertheless, with the release of COVID-19 in 2020, Elvis’ recording schedule was disrupted, forcing him to abandon his dangerous weight-gain methods. Elvis was a financial and critical triumph for the uninitiated, with Austin Butler receiving praise for his portrayal of the famed singing great.
Austin Butler discussed how Elvis was shut down during production due to COVID-19.
Butler said on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast that he was crazy and thought he got the job before the audition. He saw the job as his own, which is why he put so much effort into preparing for the assignment. Unfortunately, the film was repeatedly halted and production in Australia was finally halted during COVID-19 in 2020. According to Austin Butler:
“When we stopped we thought we would close for two weeks and then come back, but that quickly turned into a month and then six months. Then there was a point where Baz took me out to dinner and said, ‘I think you should go back to the US, and the movie might be off.’”
He also said he would not return and would instead rent a property in Australia until work began. Austin Butler did not return to the United States because he did not want to lose the momentum he had gained while rehearsing for Elvis. The actor said he was willing to wait a year. Fortunately, work started in September 2020 and the film was a triumph.
For the uninitiated, the actor won a Golden Globe in January in the “Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama” category for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the biography. Butler’s portrayal in Elvis earned him an Academy Award nomination for the show’s 95th running.
