Priscilla Presley Says Elvis ‘Respected the Fact I Was Only 14’ When They First Met: ‘He Was Very Kind’

Priscilla Presley was candid about the age difference between her and Elvis.

At the press conference of the Venice Film Festival for the upcoming Sofia Coppola biopic, Priscillaon Monday, the ex-wife of the late rock star (78) spoke about meeting Elvis when he was 24 and she was 14, which is what the film shows.

The pop culture icon said the singer has always “respected” her age and explained that they instantly connected when they met on a military base in Germany because they felt like they could talk to each other.

“People think, ‘Oh, that was sex.’ No, he didn’t,” Presley said at a press conference. “I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very gentle, very loving, but he also respected the fact that I was only 14. We were more like-minded and that was our relationship.”

Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s Relationship: A Look Back

She continued: “It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me and why. And I really mean it because I listened more. In Germany, Elvis would pour out his heart to me in every way: his fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother — which he never, never got over. And I was the person who really, really sat there to listen and comfort him. That was really our relationship.”

“Even though I was 14, I was actually a bit older in life – not in numbers. That was the attraction,” she added.

Priscilla Presley at the Venice Film Festival on September 4, 2023.

Stefania D’Alessandro/WireImage

Presley also spoke about how she mostly saw Elvis in private then. The musician’s ex-wife said: “I didn’t know why he had so much trust in me, but he did. And I never, never, never told anyone that I was seeing him, and that was another thing he loved, and that was the fact that I never gave him up in any way. I never told anyone at school that I was seeing him. That’s how we built a relationship and then our relationship lasted until I left.”

“It wasn’t because I didn’t love him — he was the love of my life,” Presley said of her split from the musician in 1972. “It was a lifestyle that was so difficult for me, and I think every woman can relate to that.” .”

She continued: “But it didn’t spoil our relationship, we still remained very close. And of course, we had a daughter [Lisa Marie], and I made sure he saw her all the time. It was like we never left each other.”

Cailee Spaeny and Priscilla Presley on September 4, 2023 in Venice, Italy.

Daniele Venturelli/WireImage

Priscilla Presley’s life in photos

The co-founder and former president of Elvis Presley Enterprises, who was said to be emotional during the press conference, also praised Coppola’s film about her life. “It’s very difficult to sit and watch a movie about you, about your life, about your love,” Presley said while reportedly crying. “Sofia did an amazing job. She did her homework, we talked a few times and I really gave everything I could for her.”

Coppola’s new film, which stars Jacob Elordi, 26, and Cailee Spaeny, 25, as Elvis and Priscilla, is based on Presley’s 1985 memoir. Elvis and me and tells their story from his perspective. Namely, Elvis Presley Enterprises did not get the rights to the rock star’s music, unlike Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 film. Elvis starring Austin Butler.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

‘Priscilla’ reviews call Sofia Coppola’s film ‘poignantly honest’, ‘pleasantly emotional experience’

Priscilla and Elvis Presley on their wedding day. Getty

Presley walked the red carpet at the international premiere of A24 and appeared at a press conference alongside writer-director and stars Elordi and Spaeny. (Priscilla was granted an exemption from the SAG-AFTRA interim agreement amid the strike since it was recorded in Canada at a non-AMPTP studio.)

Presley, whose ex-husband died aged 42 in 1977 and whose only daughter with him, Lisa Marie Presley, died aged 54 in January, spoke of being “nervous” for audiences watching the film.

“I’m so nervous because it’s my life,” she said The Hollywood Reporter in an August interview. “People watching, they live it with you, and you hope and pray that they get it. They get your feelings, your pains, your sensitivity.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education