To pack on the pounds for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the latter part of The King's life in Elvis, Austin Butler employed a unique approach inspired by Ryan Gosling. Butler first came into the mainstream for playing Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino's period piece Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, but it was his turn as the titular musical icon in Baz Luhrmann's biopic that pushed him to real stardom.

In an interview with Variety, Butler, who will look to continue his hot streak later this year with his starring role in Dune: Part Two, detailed how he used the weight gain technique Ryan Gosling employed for The Lovely Bones to bulk up for his scenes as an older Elvis Presley.

While the extra pounds helped add to the authenticity of Butler's acclaimed performance, Gosling's melted ice cream technique actually led to his dismissal from The Lovely Bones. The director didn't agree with Gosling's method and replaced him with Mark Wahlberg mere days before production began. Read Butler's full quote below:

"I heard that when Ryan Gosling was going to do ‘The Lovely Bones,’ had microwaved Häagen-Dazs and would drink it. So I started doing that. I would go get two dozen doughnuts and eat them all. I really started to pack on some pounds. It’s fun for a week, [but then] you feel awful about yourself."

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What Made Austin Butler's Portrayal Of Elvis So Successful

Austin Butler performing as Elvis at the special in Elvis

On top of his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and his win at the Golden Globes for the same category, Butler also won a dozen other Critics' Choice awards for his role in Elvis. There are many reasons why his portrayal of Elvis was praised, but one of the more surprising factors is the fact that Butler, like Elvis, lost his mother at the young age of 23, which allowed the actor to relate more to the iconic singer and really delve deep into the emotional aspects of the role.

The Elvis costume and makeup team - both of which were nominated for Academy Awards - also achieved Butler's near uncanny resemblance to Elvis, which added to the allure of his performance. Butler's ability to emulate The King's trademark on-stage persona was a huge boon for the film, while the young actor also imitated Elvis' unique singing voice. Butler actually did a lot of the singing for the film, with composer Elliott Wheeler combining the actor with the real Elvis for the post-1968 Presley vocals.

It was Butler's undeniable embodiment of Elvis off the stage that made his portrayal special. He ran the gamut of emotions during the film, going from deep sadness at the loss of his mother to the rage he showed during his on-stage denunciation of Colonel Tom Parker. Hence, Butler's dedicated performance in Elvis showcased his efforts and hard work on the film, which rewarded him with his first Oscar nomination.

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Source: Variety