Austin Butler’s voice coach explains why he still speaks in Elvis’ Memphis stretch: ‘It’s real’

Austin Butler’s voice coach defended his Elvis accent after the actor stunned fans at the last Golden Globes by continuing to speak in the king’s famous Memphis drawl.

Irene Bartlett, who coached the 31-year-old star for his role in Elvis, revealed the reason Butler still sounds like the late superstar and that his accent could stay “forever”.

“What you saw in that speech at the Golden Globes, that’s him. It’s real, it’s not fake,” Irene said on ABC’s Gold Coast on Monday, referencing Austin’s acceptance speech after receiving his first Golden Globe Award for his role in the music icon’s biopic.

“It’s real!”: Austin Butler’s voice coach Irene Bartlett defended his Elvis accent after he stunned fans at the Golden Globes by continuing to speak in the King’s famous Memphis drawl

“I’m sorry people say that, you know, it’s still acting [but] he is indeed taken [the voice of Presley] on board,” she said, adding that the change could be permanent: “I don’t know how long this will last or if it will be there forever.”

Fans have been confused by the voice change since Elvis wrapped filming in March 2021 and the film was released on June 24, 2022. However, Irene went on to explain why Austin still sounds the same as in the movie.

“Because of the COVID shutdowns, he’s been working on this all along and it’s difficult to turn off something that you’ve put so much focus on [and] Time is running.’

“It’s not fake”: “What you saw in that speech at the Golden Globes, he is. It’s real, it’s not fake,” Irene said on ABC’s Gold Coast on Monday, referencing Austin’s acceptance speech after receiving his first Golden Globe Award for his role in the music icon’s biopic

Forever? She added that the voice change could be permanent: “I don’t know how long this is going to last or if it’s going to be there forever”; Butler in a still of Elvis

“You know, when he got into his singing class, he was wearing ’50s-style clothes. He would never be – and [director] Baz Luhrmann didn’t want him to be an Elvis impersonator, that’s the last thing they wanted him to do. What they wanted was a real connection with Elvis’ personality and history, and Austin worked on that.”

She also explained her method of coaching Austin: “I actually treated him like any of my other professional singers.”

“Basically, I’m looking for what her natural singing voice does. I remove any effects someone puts on and I’m like, “How does that natural voice sound?” and what’s working and what needs help in terms of improvement, in terms of support, flexibility, perseverance, all those things.’

Confused: Fans have been confused by the voice change since filming Elvis in March 2021, but Irene explained: ‘He’s been working on it all along and it’s difficult to turn off something that’s been so focused on [and] Time is running’

Famous voice: The jailhouse rock hitmaker was known for his iconic deep southern pull; Pictured circa 1956 while recording for RCA

“When you have such an iconic voice, it’s really difficult. It’s very easy to be an impersonator because you’re literally copying the sounds, and the problem with that for someone like Austin is that it wouldn’t be sustainable.

“The voice is basically muscular – we call our high-level singers vocal athletes – it’s muscular, so they have to find the efficiency and authenticity in their own voice,” she added.

Butler was thrilled when he received the Best Actor – Motion Picture award for his work on the 2022 film Elvis – but the focus quickly shifted to his incredibly different-sounding voice.

When the star began, “I just want to say thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for this honor,” before praising his “mom,” fans noted that he’s still in his Memphis hunch almost two years after filming finished spoke Elvis-style from the film.

Stunned: Fans took to social media to express their thoughts after Austin’s acceptance speech left them stunned

Austin likened his accent to that of someone living in another country when speaking to reporters in the Winners’ Room after his big win.

“I don’t even think about it. I don’t think I sound like him anymore, but I guess I didn’t realize it because I hear it a lot. I think I often compare it to someone living in another country for a long time, and I’ve had three years where that was my only focus in life, so I’m sure there’s just parts of my DNA that are will always be connected in this way.’

Austin was so committed to perfecting his role as Elvis in the acclaimed biopic, which was released last summer, that he didn’t see his family for three years while he was in Australia preparing for the film.

Production for Elvis was delayed in March 2020 when one of its stars, Tom Hanks, was diagnosed with COVID-19 and hospitalized.

What? One fan wrote, “Austin Butler’s voice is WILD this can’t be real,” while a second typed, “When will Austin Butler get his voice back to normal?”

When the pandemic began, the Elvis set was shut down indefinitely. Butler declined an invitation to be flown back to his Los Angeles home, instead using lockdown as an opportunity to immerse himself in all things Elvis.

Butler told Variety that not only would Elvis be the “only thing” he ever thought of during this time, he would also speak with his voice because “that’s what it takes.”

The actor is currently mourning the loss of Elvis’ only child, daughter Lisa Marie Presley, who supported him at the Golden Globes before she died of cardiac arrest on January 12 at the age of 54.

“I am eternally grateful for the times I was fortunate enough to be near her bright light and will forever cherish the quiet moments we shared together. Her warmth, love and authenticity will always be remembered,” he said in a statement to E! News on Friday January 13 – the day after her death.

Mourning: Butler is currently mourning the death of Elvis’ only child, daughter Lisa Marie Presley, who supported him at the Golden Globes before dying of cardiac arrest on January 12 at the age of 54; Pictured at the 80th Golden Globes