It goes without saying that whenAustin Butlerfound out he’d landed the role of Elvis Presley in the new movieElvis, he felt immense pressure to honor the legacy of the late King of Rock ‘n Roll.
And while the actor has netted positive reviews for his portrayal of the late icon, receiving genuine praise from Presley’s family directly —ex-wife Priscilla, daughterLisa Marieand granddaughter Riley Keough, specifically — has Butler feeling both relief and gratitude.
“I can’t even put into words how much it means to me because I felt so much responsibility to them the entire time,” the actor, 30, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “That’s the thing that would shoot me out of bed in the morning every day [during production]. I had no idea how they were going to respond. I was fully ready for them maybe not to want to watch it or not to like it or anything.”
He adds: “I feel like I’m in a dream right now because they have been so warm and welcoming.”
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His preparation forElvisrequired song and dance training, but Butler specifically relished the opportunity to get to know more about Presley the person vs. the star.
And although Butler says he isn’t really a singer or karaoke person, channeling Presley helped him open up and develop that skill.
For much more on Austin Butler and Elvis, pick up the latest issue ofPEOPLEon newsstands Friday
Warner Bros.
“I’m buzzing,” he says. “Just getting to experience things that I can’t even believe that I’m experiencing right now. … it is just magic.”
The actor got to keep a couple of his costumes from the film, including a replica of that famous white jumpsuit, but jokes he would have loved a souvenir of the speedy variety.
“The thing that I wanted to keep was one of the cars,” he says with a smile. “He just had the best cars! I wanted to take one of them home so bad.”
Elvisopens in theaters June 24.
source: people.com
