Why Austin Butler Trembled While Performing Elvis Presley’s ‘That’s All Right’

TL;DR:

• Austin Butler performed Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right” for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.
• Luhrmann said Butler was “trembling in the corner” when he was asked to sing the song.
• “That’s All Right” appeared on a hit album.

Elvis Presley‘s “That’s All Right” is one of the most famous songs to come out of the 1950s rock ‘n’ roll scene. Austin Butler had to perform the song for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Subsequently, Luhrmann revealed Butler “was absolutely white as a sheet” when he was asked to sing the track.

Austin Butler said 1 scene where he played Elvis Presley was ‘an out-of-body experience’

During a 2022 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Butler discussed shooting his first scene for Elvis. “I just accepted that the fear is going to be there, because I care so much,'” he said. “But if I just channeled this into the music and into building rapport with the audience, then that’s what he would have been doing.”

Butler had a strong reaction to the experience. “I went out there and completely had an out-of-body experience,” he said. “And it turned out to be one of my most favorite days.” Butler said the scene was as just as important to him as the ’68 Comeback Special was to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Baz Luhrmann said he never saw Austin Butler more scared than when he had to sing Elvis Presley’s ‘That’s All Right’

Subsequently, Butler had to sing “That’s All Right” for the movie even though he thought he’d use playback instead. Director Luhrmann recalled the shoot. “I said, ‘I think you have to go for real, so we’ll just unmute all the instruments and you just be Elvis and make it up: You hear the music, you know the orchestrations,'” said Luhrmann. “That’s what Elvis did.”

Luhrmann said the shoot was challenging. “Austin never shows fear, but I’ve never seen him more scared,” he revealed. “He was absolutely white as a sheet and trembling in the corner. [But] what’s in the movie is basically a couple of takes. He just made it up … and I know from testing that it’s one of the favorite scenes in the film.”

How ‘That’s All Right’ and the movie performed commercially

Elvis released his version of “That’s All Right” before the Billboard Hot 100 existed, so it never reached the chart. Subsequently, the song appeared on the compilation album Elvis: 2nd to None. The compilation reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for 16 weeks.

The movie Elvis became a hit as well. Box Office Mojo reports the film earned over $31 million over its opening weekend. So far, it has made more than $193 million.

Performing “That’s All Right” made Butler nervous — but it seems to have worked out for him.