Elvis Yola and Alton Mason on Making Their Film Debuts in the High-Stakes Biopic

With writer-director Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis opening in theaters this weekend around the world, I recently got to speak with Yola and Alton Mason about playing Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Little Richard in the biopic. As you can see in the trailers, Elvis is about the complicated relationship between Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks) and Elvis Presley (Austin Butler). The film tells Elvis’ story from Parker’s point of view, and it spans over two decades and includes Presley’s rise to fame against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. During the interview, they talked about what surprised them about making a movie with this kind of scale and scope, how they prepared for their roles, gaining a newfound appreciation for actors, how they worked with a movement coach to help with their performances, and more. As I have said many times, Austin Butler is superb in the role and actually sings Presley’s early songs in the film. His performance alone is reason to see th