Austin Butler defends Globes speech, says Elvis is in his DNA

Austin Butler’s Golden Globes victory for his performance in Elvis was much-deserved in the eyes of many, but his speech is coming under scrutiny from suspicious minds. In it, Butler channeled Elvis Presley’s voice, but the actor is saying it wasn’t intentional.

Backstage after his win, Austin Butler addressed his speech and how he came across as mimicking Elvis, saying he doesn’t even notice it at this point. “I don’t think I sound like him still, but I guess I must because I hear it a lot.” He added, “I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time….I had three years where that was my only focus in life so I’m sure there’s just pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way.” Hey, better than having the DNA of Tex Watson (who Butler played in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) in you.

You can watch his post-victory speech below:

Austin Butler has previously talked about how he couldn’t shake the Elvis Presley voice when filming the Baz Luhrmann movie, saying, “I was prepping with Baz [Luhrmann], and then I went to Australia. I had months where I wouldn’t talk to anybody. And when I did, the only thing I was ever thinking about was Elvis. I was speaking in his voice the whole time.” Hopefully Butler was able to kick his habit while filming Dune: Part Two, lest we get a Feyd-Rautha who grooves his pelvis all over the screen. Besides, Sting did that already!

Certainly Austin Butler will be nominated for an Oscar, but will he be able to make another speech in the Elvis voice? There is major competition from both Brendan Fraser in The Whale and Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin, who won his respective category at the Golden Globes as well, putting him in direct competition with Butler. Fraser also has a strong chance, as his Golden Globe loss has been speculated as being a result of refusing to show up at the ceremony.

What did you think of Austin Butler’s speech for his Elvis win? Did he come off cringey or did it add to the speech? Let us know your take below!