Ryan Gosling's Inspired Intense Elvis Weight Gain for Austin Butler
Ryan Gosling's approach motivated Austin Butler's extreme weight increase for his Oscar-nominated Elvis Biopic portrayal. Under Baz Luhrmann's direction, Elvis maps the legendary rock n' roll star's path from early beginnings to latter years as a Las Vegas act. Although Butler had already featured in films with praised directors like Quentin Tarantino and Jim Jarmusch, Elvis was his breakout performance, landing an Oscar nomination and Golden Globe. Butler shot to become well-known from this performance.
Butler's success can be mostly attributed to his commitment to this legendary part. Along with his imitation of the musician's unique voice, Butler's performance in Elvis has been much talked about. One area that's missed, though, is his weight increase for that segment. Butler was able to give the movie's later scenes during Elvis's Las Vegas days the impression of an elderly Elvis Presley in his last years of life. Fascinatingly, Butler sought the look using a technique borrowed from another Oscar-nominated actor.
Austin Butler Tested Ryan Gosling's Weight Gain Methodology
Butler's weight increase for Elvis was not as significant as some other cases, but he had to gain weight in the middle of filming therefore he had to discover a quick and efficient approach. In an interview with Variety, Butler explained how he bulked up for his roles as an older Elvis Presley using Ryan Gosling's Weight Gain approach for The Lovely Bones.
"I heard Ryan Gosling had microwaved Häagen-Dazs and would drink them when he was filming 'The Lovely Bones.'" I began doing that as well. I would go get twenty-two doughnuts and finish them all. I started to pile on some pounds really seriously. For a week, it's exciting; but, thereafter you start to feel horrible about yourself." Though the extra weight added to Butler's performance's believability, Gosling's melted ice cream method resulted in his rejection from The Lovely Bones. Not happy with Gosling's approach, the director replaced him with Mark Wahlberg days before filming started.
Why Was Austin Butler's Elvis Portrayal So Effective?
Apart from his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and Golden Globe triumph for the same category, Butler also took home twelve other Critics' Choice honors for his performance in Elvis. Though Butler lost his mother at the age of 23, like Elvis, there are several reasons why his portrayal was praised—one of which is unexpected. This probably let the actor explore the emotional sides of the part and establish closer connection with the legendary vocalist.
The Elvis wardrobe and makeup crew, both Academy Award nominees, also remarkably matched Butler to Elvis, which to the appeal of his portrayal. The movie benefited much from Butler's ability to replicate The King's iconic on-stage presence as well as Elvis's distinctive vocals. With composer Elliott Wheeler matching the actor with the real Elvis for the post-1968 Presley voice, Butler actually performed a lot of the singing for the movie.
Other Notable Weight Gain Programs Designed for Movie Roles
Far from the only performers to employ drastic techniques to fit their roles are Austin Bulter and Ryan Gosling. Among the most well-known instances of this was Robert De Niro's amazing metamorphosis for his performance as Jake LaMotta in the Martin Scorsese boxing film Raging Bull. De Niro portrayed LaMotta originally as a younger, fitter guy and subsequently gained 60 pounds during production to play him at the twilight of his career, same as Butler in Elvis.
Scorsese stopped filming for four months so De Niro could travel to Italy and France where he would indulge in pasta, ice cream, and beer. "The first 15 pounds was fun, the rest was hard work," De Niro says. De Niro (via THR) won an Oscar thanks for the diligence. Well-known are also Christian Bale's physical changes for roles; the actor notes that his 60-pound Weight Gain for Vice came from a pie-based diet (via People).
Elvis created by Baz Luhrmann
Elvis chronicles by Baz Luhrmann the development of the artist to superstardom. From his early years as a youthful up-and-coming artist to his ascent to popularity, the movie tracks Elvis Presley (Austin Butler). The movie shows Elvis meeting his infamous agent and business partner, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). Elvis follows the King's ascent to the top, his later career downturn, his victorious comeback, and his sad death.
The movie was hailed for its visual flair, acting, and music and had great box office performance. Particularly Austin Butler's performance was much hailed.
