Austin Butler can't help falling in love with his character.
Although it's been more than a year since Elvis finished wrapping, moviegoers are finally going to see the actor's big-screen transformation into Elvis Presley when the film hits theaters on June 24.
Ahead of the big release, fans have been noticing Austin displaying an Elvis accent in interviews. When asked if he has noticed a change in his speaking voice, the 30-year-old agreed that there's been a difference.
"I hear that a lot, but I didn't do anything else for two years [apart from working on Elvis], that's such a large chunk of life," he told Elle Australia. "I'm not surprised that it clicks in."
He continued, "Because I'm a shy person, and when I know that there's bits of Elvis that I'd have to click into in order to go out on stage and be in front of a ton of people, being surrounded by his name everywhere, there's triggers. You spend so much time obsessing about one thing, and it really is like muscular habits, your mouth can change."
Austin is confident, however, that channeling the cultural icon won't last forever.
As he explained, "I know that I'm constantly changing. Check in with me in 20 years when I've played a lot of roles, who knows what I'll sound like!"
Before landing the role of Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic, Austin submitted a video of himself singing "Unchained Melody" in a bathrobe. The director was impressed and before he knew it, Austin was learning how to sing, speak and move just like Elvis.
"You can lose touch with who you actually are," Austin previously told GQ Hype when describing his transformation. "And I definitely had that when I finished Elvis—not knowing who I was."
Fortunately, he doesn't have to fully say goodbye to the late Grammy winner. In fact, Austin continues to blast some of Elvis' classic tunes, including "An American Trilogy," on his drives.
"It's comforting to me now, when I get in the car. I'll just go, 'What do I want to listen to?' Usually I just end up popping on Elvis," Austin said. "I've never loved somebody I've never met more than Elvis."