WEIRDLAND: Looking Like Elvis Presley: Miles Teller

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Looking Like Elvis Presley: Miles Teller


“They've never cast anyone who looks less like Elvis than Michael,” says Jerry Schilling. “Yet he really captures the inner Elvis. He did my friend justice. He may be the best Elvis of all time.”

The original meeting between President Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley occurred on December 21, 1970 at the White House. Spacey studied photos and news footage to understand that Nixon was “physically uncomfortable in his own body” and listened to phone calls and tapes to understand the rhythms of Nixon’s private speaking voice.

“Nobody looks like Elvis,” says Liza Johnson, director of Elvis and Nixon. “It's harder to look like Elvis in 1955, when he had the most beautiful face, but at any point the gap in likeness is not something you can win.” Schilling had to push the Elvis & Nixon screenwriters to capture Presley’s human side. The movie shows how Presley revels in fame's indulgences yet he's acutely aware of his isolation and is consumed by it. One scene the writers added has Elvis commenting to Schilling about the hairspray, black dye and facial cream required to create his public persona. 

“I become a thing. I become an object,” says Shannon-as-Elvis. Shannon says of the real Presley: “They buried him so deep under gold, jewelry and money, flashbulbs, stage makeup, screaming fans.” Once Shannon started studying the part, he couldn't help falling in love with Presley. “He was a deep guy who was always searching for something. One of his favorite books was Siddhartha, which I never would have guessed.” Source: europe.newsweek.com

Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock (1957)

Miles Teller: “I want to play Young Elvis. They’ve never gotten that right. It’s easy to do wrecked, bloated, and drug-addicted. I want to play characters who have the fever and win. It’s harder.”

Miles Teller: Elvis Presley? That’s the one I really want. I kind of look the part. I think he and I look alike and do a lot of similar things well: sing, dance, and I think he played sports. Just gotta make my accent a little more ‘Memphis’. There are a couple of scripts floating around, but I feel they’ve never really got [an Elvis biopic] right yet. You’ve got to see him rocking and rolling, not as this awkward kid. I want to do the Walk The Line version; they want to do the Hairspray version. But hopefully it’ll happen. I just need to find the right filmmaker. Source: www.shortlist.com

Miles Teller
Elvis Presley.
Miles Teller.
Elvis Presley.
Miles Teller.
Elvis Presley.

In "The Spectacular Now" Miles Teller has a strong resemblance to Elvis in some sequences:

Also it's interesting that Miles Teller seems to be a very family-oriented guy, with a playful sense of humor and musical/acting talent. Even in his affectionate photos with Keleigh Sperry (his stunning model girlfriend who is as eye-catching as Priscilla Presley), there is sometimes a similar vibe:

 Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards on April 9, 2016 in Los Angeles.
Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry at the 'Fantastic Four' New York Premiere, August 2015.

Elvis and Priscilla on their wedding day in Las Vegas, May 1, 1967.

2 comments :

grinningear said...

Elvis will always be the King, great blog!

Elena said...

thank you, grinningear, you're very welcome!