Priscilla Presley Gets Emotional on Sofia Coppola’s New Elvis Movie

A24

Priscilla, the A24 film based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me, premiers at the Venice Film Festival on the night of Sept. 4. Staring Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi as Elvis and Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla, the film reveals a more intimate side of Elvis, told from Priscilla’s point of view.

“It’s very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, and about your life, about your love,” Priscilla said. While she wasn’t on the press conference panel with writer-producer Sofia Coppola, she promptly took the mic when an Italian journalist asked what moved her the most in the film.

“The ending,” she replied.

Priscilla met Elvis in 1959 while he was serving in the army overseas in Germany. She was 14 years old, and he was 24 years old. They formed a bond that no one else understood. Elvis went back to the States, and between 1959 and 1963, they remained in a long-distance relationship. In 1963, Priscilla moved to the States to be with Elvis, a choice that was not supported by her parents.

“It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me, and why,” Priscilla explained. “I was more of a listener. Elvis would pour his heart out to me in every way, in Germany. His fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother, which he never, ever got over. I was the person who really, really sat there to listen and comfort him. That was really our connection, even though I was 14.”

Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla

“I was older in life than in numbers.” She meant to clarify the controversial age gap and the fact that they didn’t have sex until after marriage. “People think that was the attraction, it was sex. Not at all. I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very soft, very loving, but he also respected the fact I was only 14 years old.”

Viewers who have watched the 2022’s Elvis know that their relationship hardly made it into the chronological film about the legend. When Coppola reached out to Elvis Presley Enterprises for permission to use Elvis Persley's songs in Priscilla, they turned down involvement in the film.

“They don’t like projects that they haven’t originated, and they’re protective of their brand,” Coppola told The Hollywood Reporter. “But that made us be more creative.”

Priscilla's soundtrack comprises Phoenix covers of classic songs. Shortly after the release of the teaser trailer, the estate issued a statement claiming they were unaware of the film being produced. An estate official criticized the film’s inaccurate portrayal of Graceland and told THR that the first look at the film was “like a collage movie.”

Elvis was accused of grooming Priscilla, who described herself as being Elvis’ living doll. Their relationship remained a secret for years while Elvis publically dated other women. The pair eventually tied the knot in 1967 and parted ways seven years later. While the 2022 film painted Elvis as an innocent paw of his manager, Priscilla is the film that doesn’t shy away from his unspoken side — the fact that he can be very attractive and manipulative.

Despite the controversy and criticism, Priscilla has defended their relationship over the years. “It was a very innocent time,” she told Good Morning America in 2017. “I liked him very much. I certainly felt safe… we cannot compare it to today. We still had morals, high standards. There was a lot of care.”

“We built a relationship, and that relationship went on, until yes, I left, and it wasn’t because I didn’t love him. He was the love of my life. It was the lifestyle that was so difficult for me, and I think any woman can relate to that, but it didn’t mar our relationship,” she said.

Priscilla will arrive in theaters on Oct. 27.