Austin Butler addressed why his voice sounds so “Elvis-y” while appearing on last night's episode of Saturday Night Live.
Butler recently portrayed Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic. Ever since the movie was released earlier this year, fans have been wondering why the actor's natural speaking voice still sounds so similar to the rock icon's.
“I do want to address something,” Butler said during the show's opening monologue. “There’s people out there who say that ever since I’ve played Elvis my voice has changed — that it got deeper, more Elvis-y,” he said. “But that’s not true, I’ve always sounded like this and I can prove it. Here’s a clip from an interview I did 10 years ago.” Butler then cues the clip of him getting interviewed for The Carrie Diaries. In the video, his voice was modified to sound extremely high pitched.
Elsewhere in the monologue, Butler revealed that some of his favorite memories from his childhood were watching SNL with his mother. “We watched every week,” he said. “Even though I had this crippling shyness, when I was with her, I’d do anything to make my mom laugh. I’d make funny faces and voices and I’d even do this Gollum impression. Being silly with her is what broke me out of my shell and it’s the core of what started me in acting.”
He went on to dedicate his performance in the sketch comedy show to his mother. “My mom is no longer with us but I’ve been thinking a lot about her this week just imagining how proud she’d be that her son who used to not even be able to order food for myself at a restaurant is now standing on this stage.” After applause from the audience he said, “So tonight, anytime you see me doing a silly voice or making a funny face, that’s for you mom.”