Austin Butler transformed into a music icon this year, taking on the presence and ego king of Baz Luhrmann’s thriller “Elvis.” And Janelle Monáe made the reverse journey, going on to reinvent herself from futuristic pop singer to multi-hyphenate actress with a dark (and enigmatic) central role as a tech entrepreneur in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
Janelle Monae: Being someone who has been touring for many years, making it your own is no small feat. I know a little bit about what it takes. I played Elvis as a teenager, until his death.
Butter Austin: That was one of the challenges of that, because we were shooting out of sequence.
Mona: Was there a lot of prosthetics? Did you have to lose weight and gain weight?
Butler: At first, Paz said we could shoot it in sequence. “Okay, okay, I can take a break and gain some weight.” But with COVID, the entire schedule has been turned upside down. We’ve done a lot of work finding subtle ways you can age. Elvis ended up getting excruciating pain in his knees and back, and I totally felt that.
Mona: I performed his comeback first.
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Butler: That was the second day of shooting – the premiere. It was nerve wracking because I had a year and a half before that point to get ready. And all the preparation is for nothing if you don’t get it. Before going out on stage, I was really terrified: “I feel like my career is on the line at this moment.” But at that point in Elvis’ life, his career was on the line and he had a scare.
Mona: You use it all. You are using nerves. With the movie you get a little
A little more control. But when you live, that’s it – there’s no redo. You can’t back up things. And you use what’s going on around you.
He talked to me about Baz Luhrmann, the director I wanted to work with. He came to see me perform at the Sydney Opera House. What a legend. What is something that surprised you?
Butler: It’s the closest thing to a jazz musician I’ve seen in a director. He does a lot of homework. Then you show up and he might say, “I rewrote that scene last night” — which you’ve been working on for a year and a half. It’s terrifying at first.
Mona: Have a musical background.
Butler: Piano and guitar. I never sang. I’m a very shy person, so I didn’t sing at all.
Mona: Oh my. You had to record all the vocals, right? They didn’t go looking for someone else.
Butler: No, Baz thought he was going to have to, and then I sang. My voice was early Elvis. For me, it was more strictly about “How does Elvis articulate this? What are the actions of his voice?”
I was dying to ask you about your upbringing in a Baptist church, and how that affected the way you sing. Spiritual connection to music.
Mona: It is definitely part of my DNA. I was raised, as I said, in the Baptist Church. Both sides, father and mother, were singers. My grandmother is still alive. She is 94 years old.
Butler: still sing?
Mona: She sings. She plays the organ. I come from a very passionate, musically inclined family. And I knew there was only one Lauren. There was only one Prince, one Grace Jones, Stevie Wonder, and Judy Garland. I really had to find my voice. They had an outline, and he was like, “What’s the print?”
Butler: Fabulous.
Mona: Speaking of other artists, what I loved about this movie is that it was very clear that Elvis was inspired by a lot of black artists. You had Sister Rosetta Tharp.
Alexi Lubomirsky for Diversity
Butler: Big Mama Thornton. Mahalia Jackson.
Mona: She was local there. There were a lot of artists that Elvis was inspired by, and borrowed from – people say they took from them. I’m glad that was addressed. For I don’t think he would have been successful, or really found his voice, had he not seen gospel singers in church. And watch jazz musicians play. Did you identify with black music in a different way?
Butler: When I was cast, Baz and I hitchhiked to Nashville. And we got a recording at RCA there. It was my first time in a recording studio. Then he and I headed to this little wooden church. And we had 30 of the most amazing gospel singers. I’m the only white guy there, and the guy leading the congregation—his name is Shannon—said, “We’re not making a song right now, we’re not just making a movie.” He said, “Someone very close to me is dying right now, and I have something to cry about. So let’s cry together.”
They transition seamlessly from one gospel number to the next, singing soulful riffs for eight hours straight. I stood in the middle. And I was very lucky to be there. Chills run down my body. Tears are streaming down my face. That was a pivotal moment for me, in terms of what music means and what movement means. When you can’t help but move because your soul is moving.
Mona: Mmmmmm.
Butler: I only had a few moments before filming “Elvis” where I danced in public, because I was so shy. I will always be a wallflower at a party. One at the Gospel Church and the other at one of your shows. It moved me in a way that I couldn’t stop myself from moving.
Mona: My God. What? where are you seeing
Butler: He was at an unnamed music festival. He was at Coachella, I’m embarrassed to say. I’ve seen you in “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures,” and I’m very impressed with what you’re doing in the acting field.
I’m curious to know what the experience was like shooting in Greece.
Alexi Lubomirsky for Diversity
Mona: I saw the first “Knives Out” movie. And you were so excited because they were making those movies that you could go to with your family and you didn’t leave heavy, right? You are left to solve a murder mystery. I actually said yes because it was Rian Johnson. Then I read the script and said, “Hell Yeah.” And then when they said, “We’re going to shoot in Greece,” it wasF Yeah.” So many things canceled out for me, and it was just a dream come true to send in that script.
Butler: And he played two different characters.
Mona: There was a lot to manage with this role, and a lot of energy to manage. I had to keep two to three different notebooks. Because I’m not just playing one or two characters – I’m playing a character pretending to be someone else.
Butler: Do you keep a notebook for every character you play?
Mona: yes. I had to know, “Okay. What am I doing next week? This is energy.” When I think of characters, I start with energy. It’s like, “What’s the spirit of this character? How can I make sure I respect that?” I wanted to really root for my character. So I had the opportunity to play with the dialects that give you that. When you hear her speak, you’re like, “Oh, I want her to win. I love her. I want to hug her.”
Butler: Do you have principles from music that you can apply through acting?
Mona: She was given a unique opportunity to have a music career and an acting career. Honestly, I don’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t do both.
I look at it as storytelling. What story are we telling today? Sometimes it feels like you take a turn because you want a challenge, right? You’re like, “I have this side of me that I want to explore a little bit more.” Now I think a lot differently. I’m just like, “Would this be fun? Who’s the director? Who are the actors? When I meet them, do I get a good vibe? Well, I can be with you guys for three months.” Because time waits for nothing.
Speaking of time, how do you cut out the noise when you’re preparing for a role? I was like, “Family, I love you. But I might not text you back because I’m really dedicated to doing the best I can.”
Butler: During “Elvis,” I didn’t see my family for about three years. I was preparing with Baz, and then I went to Australia. I spent months where I couldn’t talk to anyone. And when I did, the only thing I could think about was Elvis. I was speaking in his voice the whole time.
Mona: You had to say, “This is me. This is what it takes.”
Butler: That’s what it takes.
Design mode by Jack Flanagan
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