Here’s why Elvis director Baz Luhrmann rejected Harry Styles to play the role of the musical icon

Harry Styles missed out on the role of a lifetime. Elvis director Baz Luhrmann recently opened up about his decision to cast Austin Butler instead of the As It Was hitmaker for the iconic role of Elvis’s biopic. In his chat with the Fitzy & Wippa podcast on Monday, the director who won a 12-minute standing ovation for the biopic at Cannes shared his thoughts on the matter.

During his interview, Luhrmann admitted, via Page Six, “Harry is a really talented actor,” as he went on to reveal the real reason behind the star not getting the role, “I would work on something with him … but the real issue with Harry is, he’s Harry Styles. He’s already an icon.” He added, “Harry and I came to a place, genuinely I mean, he was just desperate to put the suit on and explore. He’s such a great spirit and I have nothing but great things to say about Harry Styles.”

Meanwhile, the director also went into detail about his casting process and disclosed how he does not audition for roles, but rather hosts “rich workshops.” He continued to tute the horn of his Elvis Austin Butler as he added the actor was “born to play” the part. Luhrmann further mentioned, “You know, we can talk about it now, he like loses his mom at the same age that Elvis did.” For those unfamiliar with Butler’s previous works, you can find him in Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood as well as The Dead Don’t Die.

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