Elvis’ Yola and Alton Mason on Making Their Film Debuts in the High-Stakes Biopic
25With writer-director Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis opening in theaters this weekend around the world, I recently got to speak with Yola and Alton Mason about playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Little Richard in the biopic. As you can see in the trailers, Elvis is about the complicated relationship between Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) and Elvis Presley (Austin Butler). The film tells Elvis’ story from Parker’s point of view, and it spans over two decades and includes Presley’s rise to fame against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.
During the interview, they talked about what surprised them about making a movie with this kind of scale and scope, how they prepared for their roles, gaining a newfound appreciation for actors, how they worked with a movement coach to help with their performances, and more.
As I have said many times, Austin Butler is superb in the role and actually sings Presley’s early songs in the film. His performance alone is reason to see the film. Elvis also stars Helen Thomson as Elvis’s mother, Gladys, Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’s father, Vernon, Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as B.B. King, Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling, Natasha Bassett as Dixie Locke, David Wenham as Hank Snow, Xavier Samuel as Scotty Moore, and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Jimmie Rodgers Snow. To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.
Watch what Yola and Mason had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we taked about.
Yola and Alton Mason
What surprised them about making a film with the scale and scope of Elvis?
How they worked with a movement coach to hep them prepare for their roles.
Did they gain a newfound appreciation for actors after making the movie?
#Elvis #Yola #AltonMason #ElvisPresley
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