Austin Butler has revealed the “awful” diet he maintained to gain weight for his role in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.
Speaking on the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, the actor explained how Ryan Gosling inspired what he ate as he prepared to play the older version of Elvis in the film.
Austin said: “I heard that Ryan Gosling, when he was going to do The Lovely Bones, had microwaved Häagen-Dazs and would drink it. So I started doing that.”
While he ended up wearing a body suit to portray an older version of the singer, Austin said he did everything he could to prepare for the scenes.
“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 or so, and then you feel awful with yourself,” he confessed.
“But we were planning on shooting chronologically in the beginning. That quickly went out the window, then especially with COVID. It was just impossible.”
Austin spent two years preparing for his Elvis role, and previously admitted he put his “life on pause” as he perfected the late singer’s accent and mannerisms.
The actor’s accent has been a hot topic over the past few months, as fans believe the 31-year-old has now permanently adopted Elvis’ accent.
Austin’s voice has undoubtedly changed since he played the iconic singer, and speaking at the Golden Globes on January 10, the film star said he will “always be linked” to Elvis after he was asked to address his accent change.
“I don’t think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it a lot,” he said.
“I had three years where that was my only focus. So, I’m sure there’s pieces of him in my DNA and I’ll always be linked.”
Irene Bartlett, who was Austin’s voice coach for Elvis, also came to his defence after the awards ceremony, after viewers poked fun at his accent during his acceptance speech.
“What you saw in that Golden Globes speech, that’s him,” she said. “It’s genuine, it’s not put on.”
“I feel sorry people are saying that, you know, it’s still acting [but] he’s actually taken [the voice] on board. I don’t know how long that will last, or if it’s going to be there forever.”
