Priscilla Presley only had eyes for Sofia Coppola‘s adaptation of her memoir “Elvis and Me.”
The A24-distributed biopic “Priscilla” is written and directed by Coppola, with Cailee Spaeny playing the wife of Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi). Priscilla serves as an executive producer on the film, which has since caused controversy due to its portrayal of Elvis; the film is not sanctioned by the official Presley estate.
“I was very concerned about this movie,” Priscilla said during a Q&A event at the South Point Casino in Las Vegas (via People magazine). But, she added, “I think it’s right on, to be honest with you.”
Presley added that Coppola “was so wanting it to be right” and that she would not approve of another filmmaker adapting her 1985 autobiography.
“I love her filmmaking. I think she does a great job,” Priscilla said. “She is for women, and when she approached me about doing a movie about me, I was moved by it. If anyone were to do a movie, it would be for her. I would never support another movie from anyone else doing it.”
Priscilla continued, “She has such a big heart and her father is very famous and she really connected with me. I have no problems with what she did in any way.”
Priscilla’s late daughter Lisa Marie Presley expressed concerns about how her father Elvis was captured in the initial draft of the “Priscilla” script. In emails obtained by Variety and confirmed by IndieWire, Lisa Marie wrote Coppola that Elvis “comes across as a predator and manipulative” through a “shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective.”
Lisa Marie noted that she was “worried [Priscilla] doesn’t understand the intentions behind this film or the outcome it will have,” adding, “I will be forced to be in a position where I will have to openly say how I feel about the film and go against you, my mother, and this film publicly.”
Coppola reassured Lisa Marie that she was “taking great care in honoring” Priscilla’s life story “while also presenting your father with sensitivity and complexity.”
Lisa Marie died in January 2023 before seeing the completed “Priscilla.” Lead actress Spaeny went on to win the Best Actress prize at the Venice Film Festival; the film opened November 3 in theaters.
