Move over Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, there’s a new Presley biopic in town: Priscilla.
Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, Priscilla was based on the 1985 memoir Elvis and Me by Prisicilla Presley and Sandra Harmon, and will explore Priscilla’s relationship with Elvis Presley.
Cailee Spaeny, of Mare of Easttown fame, and Jacob Elordi, of Euphoria fame, star in the film as Prisiclla and Elvis.
Priscilla had its premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 4 (and received a seven-minute standing ovation) and will head to cinemas around the world very shortly.
Ahead of its release, here’s everything you need to know about Priscilla…
Where can I watch the movie Priscilla?
Prisicilla was released in the United States on October 27, 2023. It won’t hit Australian cinemas until January 18, 2024 though.
It’s not yet been announced what streaming platform Priscilla will be available on after its theatrical release; watch this space.
How involved was Priscilla Presley with the Priscilla movie?
Priscilla Presely was involved with the making of the Priscilla movie but not heavily.
However, after Priscilla’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Priscilla herself emerged from the audience and spoke to Variety about the biopic.
“It’s very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life, about your love,” she said.
“Sofia did an amazing job. She did her homework, we spoke a couple of times and I really put everything out for her that I could.”
How old is Priscilla in the movie?
In real life, Priscilla met rock ‘n’ roll star Elvis Presley at a party in Germany, when she was just 14 years old and he was 24 years old. The pair began dating shortly after meeting and eventually married when she was 21 years old.
As the film heavily revolves around Priscilla’s relationship with Elvis, Priscilla is portrayed as 14 years old initially, but as the film progresses, Priscilla ages.
Director Sofia Coppola explained at Priscilla’s premiere how she approached Priscilla being so young when she first met Elvis in the biopic.
“I can go back to being that age and remember having a crush on an older guy and a rockstar… I just imagined myself in her point of view,” Sofia said.
Also at the premiere, the real Priscilla addressed their significant age gap and insisted that Elvis never took advantage of her.
“It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me and why,” Priscilla said.
“And I really do think because 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. And I was the person who really, really sat there to listen and to comfort him. That was really our connection,” she continued.
“Even though I was 14, I was actually a little bit older in life; not in numbers. That was the attraction. People think, ‘Oh, it was sex.’ No, it wasn’t. 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. We were more in line in thought, and that was our relationship.”
How long was Priscilla married to Elvis?
As mentioned earlier, Priscilla and Elvis tied the knot when she was 21 years old in 1967. The couple were then married for six years before they separated on February 24, 1972. A few months later, on July 26, Priscilla and Elvis filed for legal separation. Ultimately, their divorce was finalised on October 9, 1973.
Despite her divorce from Elvis, Priscilla has never remarried. She explained why during a Q&A event held at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas on November 3, 2023 and said:
“I just don’t think that he could handle that… To be honest with you, I never wanted to marry after him. I never had any desire. No one could ever match him.”
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