Austin Butler has reflected on making an “immediate” connection with Lisa Marie Presley.
The singer-songwriter, the only child of Priscilla and the late Elvis Presley, died on 12 January at the age of 54 after suffering a heart attack.
During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday, Austin recalled what it was like meeting Lisa Marie for the first time at a screening of his new film Elvis, in which he portrays the King of Rock and Roll, at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
“I’ve never had an experience where I met somebody and felt an immediate depth of relationship to them. She was a person who didn’t really have anything to prove and wouldn’t open up to everybody. She just opened up to me,” he remembered. “We got so close so fast.”
Austin also noted that he was grateful to have seen Lisa Marie at the 2023 Golden Globes on 10 January, where he won the Best Actor prize for his performance in Baz Luhrmann’s biographical drama.
“I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life,” the 31-year-old insisted, before describing awards season as “bittersweet”.
“So much great stuff is happening but I’m just devastated for her family and for her to not be here celebrating with us,” he added.
Elsewhere in the conversation, Austin recounted the time Lisa Marie offered him a tour of Elvis’s bedroom.
“She said, ‘I wanna show you something’ and took me up there. It was… you know. Moments like that – we just sat in his bedroom. Up there, he’s not Elvis. He’s just dad. To hear those stories, I truly will treasure that forever,” the star smiled.
Austin has also garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role in Elvis. The 2023 Academy Awards will be presented on 12 March.
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