Angela Bassett weighs in on Austin Butler's struggle to lose Elvis accent: 'You have to bid it farewell'

Angela Bassett can totally empathize with Austin Butler's struggle to drop his Elvis Presley accent after starring as the King of Rock & Roll in Baz Lurhmann's 2022 biopic, Elvis. After all, she had a similar experience.

The actress, who recently received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for her performance as Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, told The New Yorker that she understood Butler's current predicament because she initially found it difficult to detach herself from Tina Turner after playing the "Proud Mary" singer in the Oscar-nominated 1993 biopic What's Love Got to Do With It.

"Tina's laugh and the way she spoke took over. It took over, not as long as Elvis — maybe about four months after," she said. "You so lived and breathed and began to see life through their perspective. You had to. They're a part of you. I think that's what's going on with him."

But Bassett noted it was important that Butler step out of Presley's shadow going forward.

"You have to bid it farewell, and it's hard to let it go, because you've enjoyed it, you survived it, you delivered, and you're proud of that," she continued. "You got an opportunity and you hit it out of left field. So it takes a moment to get back to regular you. But you're different after this moment. Now you're Austin, who did that great performance."

Butler, who is originally from Anaheim, Calif., has been all shook up with a Southern twang since he starred as Presley in Elvis. Although the film was released last June, the actor — who dedicated three years of his life to becoming the "Jailhouse Rock" singer — has retained Presley's deep drawl throughout the following months, including when he hosted Saturday Night Live in December and during his Best Actor acceptance speech at the Golden Globes in January.

However, while visiting the The Graham Norton Show this month, Butler explained that he's trying to return to his normal tone. "I am getting rid of the accent, but I have probably damaged my vocal cords with all that singing," he said. "One song took 40 takes."

Speaking with EW in June, Butler detailed his intense experience rehearsing with dialect coaches until he was able to perfectly conjure up Presley's voice for the film.

"I would take an interview or a speech that he had on stage where he is talking to the audience, and I would practice it as though I was trying to get it to be exact," he said. "That way, I couldn't hear a difference between my voice and his. Then I would have my dialect coach there going, 'This is off a little bit,' and I'd practice. I'd just keep honing it in until I could get as specific as possible."

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