Austin Butler’s Elvis Performance Could Have Been ‘Career-Ending Rather Than Award-Winning,’ Says His Acting Coach (Exclusive)

Austin Butler’s performance as Elvis Presley in the 2022 film could have been drastically different, according to his acting coach, Howard Fine. “It was a minefield of danger,” Fine tells PEOPLE. “If he had imitated Elvis, it would have been the end of his career, not an award, and he could have simply gone to Vegas and tried to get a job as an impersonator there. The whole key when playing someone who really lived is not to imitate them. You have to find a connection with them so that in the end you find where it lives in you.”

This is just one piece of advice that Fine, founder of the Howard Fine Acting Studio, has given over the years. His book, Fino about acting: A vision of the craft, which was re-released on November 21st with updated material, provides an inside look at the art of a renowned industry teacher. During his 30-year career, Fine has trained some of the biggest names in Hollywood, from Brad Pitt to Salma Hayek.

“One of the biggest misconceptions about acting is the idea of ​​creating a character,” says Fine. “How many characters do we all play in a day? A lots of. And they are all parts of us.”

‘Fine on Acting: A Vision of the Craft’ by Howard Fine.

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When it comes to his teaching process, Fine says he looks for students who choose him and are willing to “go along [their] sleeves and work.” One of those people was Butler, 32, who has worked with Fine since he was a child star on Nickelodeon. “Right from the beginning, he wanted to be a serious actor, but it wasn’t just words. That was his whole work ethic. And then he started working, and he got it The Carrie Diarieshe got it Shannara’s Chronicles”, says Fine. “But every time he had a break between gigs, he’d be in class.”

Fine also recalls that Butler wanted to do the play, because “real actors really want to try themselves on stage.” He helped Butler set up a successful audition for Eugene O’Neill The Iceman is comingopposite Denzel Washington.

How Denzel Washington Helped Convince ‘Elvis’ Director to Cast Austin Butler as Elvis Presley

“Before Austin left town, he had all four hours perfectly committed to memory before the first rehearsal,” recalls Fine Butler’s performance on Broadway in 2018. “And when he got there, who else had all four hours memorized right away? It was Denzel.”

It was excellent training for what would become Butler’s breakthrough role.

Olivia DeJonge and Austin Butler in ‘Elvis’.

Warner Bros. / courtesy of the Everett Collection

“Audition material for Elvis was Tennessee Williams Orpheus descends”, says Fine. “And how clever of Baz Luhrmann because a non-actor can’t handle that material. But those are Austin’s years of student studies, and then the theater. He was fit to do it.”

Austin Butler didn’t see family for 3 years while preparing for ‘Elvis’: ‘He didn’t want to talk to anyone’

When preparing for Elvis, Fine says the pair explored the performer’s life outside of the script, and that Butler used his own personal experiences to inhabit the “Hound Dog” singer, rather than impersonating him. Fine also says that Butler continues to speak while Elvis, even after filming ends, is tied to the technique used by the actors. “I did the same thing with Will Smith when he played Dr. Bennet Omalu in the movie Earthquake”, says Fine. “Will would keep speaking in that accent until it became second nature to him.” Fine has worked with a number of award-winning actors, from Bradley Cooper (“One More Pleasure”) to Kerry Washington, who was referred to Fine by Diana Ross.

Kerry Washington.

Raymond Hall/GC Images

“We were just sitting there reading the scene together, and I looked up from the page and thought, ‘Who is this?’ And you just thought, ‘Oh my God,'” Fine says of Washington. “Gifted. And modest, incredibly modest. I’d give her a message and she’d say, ‘Thank you so much.'” Fine also says that “the truly talented are surprised to do anything well, and the non-gifted are shocked to get the message.”

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One person Fine finds “constantly surprising” is Carla Gugino, who plays Verna on the Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher. Fine does not call her a student, but a colleague. “She comes to teach every single thing she’s done,” he says. “She’s already in the game, but she wants to be pushed and wants to share ideas and take it to a new level and make each other better. She’s a real pleasure to work with.” because it improves my game.”

Carla Gugino and Willa Fitzgerald in the movie ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’.

Eike Schroter/Netflix

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For Fine, acting class isn’t the “silly thing” he feels it’s often portrayed to be. Understanding human behavior is key, he explains, but the heart of the craft is hard work and “understanding where the character lives within you.” Fine hopes that his book will help to get a more accurate picture of the acting (and coaching) profession. He also has some advice for those considering the craft as a career. “It’s probably the most unwise career choice anyone can make,” Fine says. “So I say, unless you’re passionate, if anything else makes you happy, do it. If this alone makes you happy, don’t take no for an answer.”

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Source: HIS Education