A Best Actor campaign for “Elvis” star Austin Butler has clearly been under way ever since the film premiered at Cannes this past May.
It takes hell of a performance to receive the glowing praises of Leonardo Dicaprio, Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman, but Butler has done just that. All four are Oscar of these actors are Oscar winners, by the way.
In Luhrmann’s maddening pop-art statement, Butler gives a consummate performance that defies caricature. Elvis, despite being so open for interpretation, was a very specific iconic — and American — personality, and Butler brings him to life in ways that aren’t stereotypical, but uniquely their own. You can dismiss the actual movie all you want, but can anyone actually deny that Butler’s work here is astoundingly pitch-perfect?
“Elvis” is doing extremely well at the box office as well and has brought back adult audiences to movie theaters throughout the summer, something no film has been able to do since the pandemic began. It’s currently the 9th highest grossing movie of the year with $131 million made, and counting. A Best Picture nod isn’t out of the question either.
With what looks to be a potentially weak field in the 2023 Best Actor race, I currently have Butler as the frontrunner. Other actors getting good traction include Brendan Fraser (The Whale), Hugh Jackman (The Son), Bill Nighy (Living) and Adam Driver (White Noise).
Butler is coming and there really is no stopping him. Anyone betting against him right now should cancel that bet, he will get nominated and maybe, even, win the Oscar next March.