Austin Butler Went Up Against This Mighty List Of A-Listers To Become 'Elvis'

Rising star Austin Butler reportedly beat out a number of A-list actors for his lead role in the recently released Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" biopic. The actor played the role of the King of Rock, Elvis Presley, and earned rave reviews for his performance. 

Before his casting in "Elvis," Butler reportedly auditioned for "The Maze Runner" as early as 2013 but wasn't selected because he wasn't old enough for the role. He was also part of the actors that vied for the role of Rooster in "Top Gun: Maverick."

In a recent interview, Denise Chamian, the casting director of "Elvis," shed some light on the first time she met the actor and how he was selected to play the role of the music icon. She also revealed the list of actors he had to go against to secure the role.

Butler's performance as Elvis in the recently released biopic certainly sent tongues wagging. The performance is so lauded that it's set off Oscar buzz and positive reviews. During an interview with Variety, the film's casting director Chamian talked about how the actor was picked for the role and the hordes of actors he went against in the auditions.

The producer revealed that when the casting for the role of Elvis began, Luhrmann insisted on doing a worldwide search. They scoured the United States, Canada, New Zealand, London, and Australia. They also accepted open casting calls online and even considered some Elvis impersonators.

Despite the extensive search, Chamian revealed that from the beginning, something made her sure Butler was the right fit for the role. "We did open casting calls online and even looked at Elvis impersonators, but from the very beginning, there was something about Austin to me that was a little reminiscent of Elvis." 

The "Top Gun: Maverick" casting director continued, revealing that she wasn't entirely sure how well Butler could sing but give it a shot. She said, "When I sat down with Baz, he knew he had certain people he wanted to test. He had Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller. There was a group of guys that he was circling. He later added Harry Styles to that."

On her part, Chamian had her own list, which had Butler among her top choices. While going through a list of names, she revealed that when they got to the actor, she declared to Luhrmann, "This is your Elvis."

Chamian then started the process, which led to Butler meeting with the director, and he got tested along with the rest of the actors. The decision wasn't made until they conducted the screen tests, and even after that, they had to consider "a lot of factors" and the fact that the 30-year-old wasn't as known as the rest of the options.

While auditioning for the role of Elvis, Chamian revealed that the cast was told to do the icon's famous single, "Unchained Melody." Butler made a recording of his performance while playing the piano and reminiscing on the time his mom passed away a few years ago. The actor reportedly gave an "amazing" performance.

"Everyone did the same song for the test and the white suit for their final auditions," the producer continued. "They had hair and makeup. It was a full-blown test. He's so great in the film, and by the end, people have missed that edit from Austin's Elvis to the real Elvis."

She revealed that his performance was so impressive that it blew her away. Chamian also credited Nikki Barrett, who helped them get the remaining cast in Australia instead of their earlier plan to take people out of the U.S.

When asked when she first met Butler, Chamian revealed that her first introduction to the actor was in 2013 when he auditioned for the lead role of "The Maze Runner." According to the director, The 30-year-old was an outstanding actor even then; however, he was too young for the role.

"At the time, he played a little too young for them, and I think that's one of the reasons that he wasn't included in the things I've auditioned for him throughout the years," she said. "Anytime we did a major search, he was always in the mix."

Another movie Butler auditioned for but didn't get because of his age was the recently released "Top Gun: Maverick." Chamian also handled casting for the film and revealed that she felt passionate about the actor's performance. After his audition was shown to the rest of the filmmakers and Tom Cruise, they all agreed that he had "something"; however, he was so young for the role of Rooster.