Is Austin Butler's 'Elvis Accent' Stuck Or Has He Always Talked Like That? Here's How The Actor's Voice Sounded Before

A clip from Austin Butler's recent interview went viral on Twitter this week, and viewers are questioning whether or not the actor is stuck with his Elvis voice. "whoever the accent coach for elvis was needs a raise because he literally cannot stop it," writes @paulswhtn.

Users also wondered if Austin's training as Elvis caused his voice to deepen. "I have never been attracted to this man, like he was never ugly but like I just didn’t care. But now like… has that ALWAYS been his voice, he had to have got that this year?!" says @reelandroll. But Austin's fans were quick to defend him, stating that nothing has changed and that he's always sounded the same. So what’s the truth? 

Austin Butler Trained for Years To Perfect His Role

Austin played no games when it came to Elvis. Even the King's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, said herself that the film's portrayal of her father was "FINALLY done accurately and respectfully." The movie and Austin’s performance were received so well that he might just be nominated for an Oscar, and that's not all! The Golden Globe nominations were just announced today, and Austin has been nominated for Best Actor in the Motion Picture Drama category. 

The 31-year-old actor took his Elvis role so seriously that he even abandoned his family for three years while he prepared for the movie. He studied the King's speech and mannerisms for days on end and worked with dialect coaches to perfect his Elvis accent. "I'd hear him say a certain word, and I would clip just that bit out, so I knew how he said that word," Austin explains.

He continues, "I created my own archive of how he said every word and every diphthong, and the way that he used musicality in his voice.”

When Elle brought up Austin's tendency to switch to a Southern accent at random times, he laughed. "I hear that a lot," he admitted, "but I didn't do anything else for two years [apart from working on Elvis], that's such a large chunk of life. I'm not surprised that it clicks in."

Austin also added that he had "triggers" that would randomly cause his Elvis voice to come out. "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," he says.

He continues, "You spend so much time obsessing about one thing, and it really is like muscular habits, your mouth can change. It's pretty amazing. 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!"

The Verdict

Austin had to talk like Elvis for years, so dropping the Southern accent is not that easy. However, Austin has always had a deep voice. If you take a look at these older clips of Austin from 2017 and 2018, you’ll notice that his voice has remained the same, but the way he speaks has definitely changed. Today, you can hear some of the Southern drawl come through when the California-born actor talks. His tone is also lower, whereas he had more energy and sounded “chipper” in the past.

So, it does seem like Austin is stuck with his Elvis accent for now, and it might take some time for his natural speaking voice to come back. With that being said, let's enjoy it while it lasts!

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