In Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Cailee Spaeny offers a haunting efficiency as Priscilla Presley. In a movie spanning round 15 years of Presley’s life, we first meet her when she’s 14, residing in Germany the place each her father and Elvis are stationed whereas serving within the army. Spaeney has the duty of bringing Priscilla Presley’s perspective to life, first by means of the adoring eyes of a teen, then as a world weary grownup simply south of 30.
Spaeny already has credit starting from Pacific Rim: Uprising to Mare of Easttown, however her efficiency in Priscilla goes to be an enormous leap for the actor, pushing her into the limelight. It’s attention-grabbing, as a result of she talks about rising up in Springfield, Missouri and contrasting that to this life she’s residing now. (As somebody who occurred to go to junior highschool in Springfield, Missouri, I’m in a singular place to have the ability to definitively say, sure, I see her level right here.)
I spoke to Spaeny early on a Saturday morning over Zoom. When she appeared on display she was carrying a Kansas City Chiefs sweatshirt (um, so, sure, I’m a fan of that specific sports activities franchise), which I’ll admit endeared herself to me in a means that most likely wouldn’t have occurred if she was carrying, say, a Bills or Bengals sweatshirt. As we began, I debated asking one thing I used to be questioning. For some cause, I used to be actually curious if, for analysis, Spaeny watched the Naked Gun films, which may have simply been answered, “What does that must do together with her time with Elvis?,” which might be a very reasonable level. Anyway, it seems I’m glad I requested.
You grew up in Springfield, Missouri? I went to junior excessive there…
No means!
Oh, you’re carrying a Chiefs shirt? I’m an enormous Chiefs fan.
Oh, my gosh. The world’s colliding proper now. Where’d you go?
Hickory Hills.
Oh, my God. Then you went to Kansas City?
Yeah. I went to highschool in Kansas City.
What’d you consider Springfield?
It was a pleasant place to go to junior excessive. It was proper round when Brad Pitt was beginning to pop up in stuff and other people had been excited. I feel he went to Kickapoo High School?
Yes, I do know.
You know what, persons are going to like this interview…
Springfield will find it irresistible. Missouri will find it irresistible.
Yes, they’ll. Springfield can also be the house of Kathleen Turner.
Yeah, it’s true. Who else do we’ve got? There are literally some actually good younger musicians which are popping out of Springfield. But Kansas City is the place proper now.
I do know, and so they have a brand new airport!
I really like the Springfield-Branson Airport a lot as a result of it’s like a hallway. It’s nice.
Branson … Silver Dollar City.
I labored there for seven years!
What?
I labored there each Christmas — Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for seven years. I knew that place just like the again of my hand. I went by means of all of the again doorways, ate funnel desserts each lunch. Oh, my God. It was truthfully top-of-the-line methods for a kid… that’s how I grew up, was at a theme park. I grew up at a theme park. It was the perfect expertise. But Branson, I would like to return. What a humorous place. Oh, my gosh. And it’s so exhausting to explain locations like that except you’ve been there.
I don’t know why I stored pondering this once I was watching Priscilla, however I’m curious for those who ever watch Priscilla Presley within the Naked Gun films?
I hadn’t. When I dove into the work and the ebook and in addition speaking to Priscilla herself, I used to be like, do I would like to look at these Naked Gun films for prep? And I’m like, yeah, I’m going to do it. I watched her in it and I keep in mind I referred to as her. I used to be like, “Oh, my God, Priscilla, you’ve lived so many lives and also you’re so filled with surprises.” Her comedy in these films is superb.
She’s actually humorous in these films.
Her timing is unimaginable. She’s hilarious and it simply speaks to her. She’s so surprising and layered and actually extremely smart and has all the time been an outdated soul. I feel as a result of she’s all the time been so observant. She doesn’t communicate that a lot. When she’s in a public place you possibly can inform she watches all the things like a hawk, however she doesn’t communicate that a lot. But when she went into these roles? I additionally watched some episodes of Dallas too, which was fascinating.
Oh, wow, you actually went for it. You went again to Dallas.
There’s not a ton of footage of her on-line, so I might simply fall asleep listening to interviews or something I may get my arms on to attempt to get little nuggets of data. But she is extraordinary. She’s difficult to place your finger on. The second you’re feeling like, I received her, I do know precisely who this particular person is, you then watch her in Naked Gun and also you’re like, oh.
I feel there’s a complete technology that solely is aware of her from Naked Gun.
That needs to be true.
Well, I’m speaking about myself mainly. I, in fact, understand she was married to Elvis, however she’s the star of the Naked Gun films.
Well, that’s what’s so attention-grabbing is as a result of I grew up, coming from the southern Midwest, I used to be born in Tennessee, raised within the southern Midwest. Elvis is a large icon in America. But for the South he’s this God. And my mother was such a large Elvis fan. She collected memorabilia and we went to Graceland rising up on trip. And it’s humorous that you just say that, that was my first introduction to her as a result of, rising up an Elvis fan, I clearly knew who Priscilla was, however I didn’t know her tales or her facet of the story in any respect. And I used to be shocked by that as a result of we had been large Elvis followers. He was talked about and his music was enjoying rather a lot rising up. Whenever this mission got here my means and I learn the ebook for the primary time, it was stunning. Not solely the details from the ebook and her perspective on that facet of the story, but additionally the truth that I had no concept, her expertise.
At what level within the course of do you first meet her and what’s that like?
Well, I received the ebook and the script and Sophia mentioned, “I’m passing you her info and you may attain out and see if she’s open to assembly.”
Oh.
Yeah.
That’s intimidating. It’s left as much as you.
Very intimidating. But clearly in fact I needed to meet her. But so unusual to take that on. I keep in mind we met for lunch and he or she was strolling in the direction of the desk and I received so nervous and phrases simply couldn’t come out of my mouth. And I keep in mind she sat down and there was this awkward silence. And she needed to say, “Are there any questions you wish to ask me?”
Wow.
“Oh proper, sure.” I additionally needed to be respectful of her and her telling the story over and over. I needed her to really feel protected and I didn’t need her to really feel like I used to be simply interviewing her. I needed her to really feel snug with me and solely inform me what she felt like she needed to relive once more. But as soon as we began speaking, I feel we ended up speaking for 3 or 4 hours the primary time we met. She was very gracious together with her time. And typically we’d speak about Elvis and there have been little nuggets of gold in there of particular emotions and feelings.
For instance, on the evening she first met him. And then typically we’d begin speaking about one thing fully random like her animal activism. But simply being in entrance of her and taking her presence in and the way she holds herself as a result of she’s a special technology of lady. The means that she nonetheless presents in a means and he or she all the time appears to be like very good and has excessive heels on. It’s not solely enjoying her, but additionally enjoying a girl from that point. Just being round her and getting to sit down down together with her and taking time was actually an important piece of the puzzle of placing collectively how I used to be going to painting her, my very own model of her.
I do know it doesn’t work like this, however it’s bizarre that the Elvis film got here out final yr. And now Priscilla does really feel like her with the ability to say, okay, wait a second, right here’s my model of what occurred. Do you concentrate on that?
Yeah, certain. In the sense of that it’s coming again round to … we’ve heard the Elvis story so many occasions. I haven’t seen that film truly, however folks beloved it and the household is absolutely supportive of it. But by way of not understanding her facet of the story, it’s, I feel, an attention-grabbing… they are fully totally different movies.
Oh, sure, that’s true.
They’re advised in such totally different types. But I feel it’s unusual that we don’t know her facet of the story. And I feel I discovered it fascinating to dive into that world. And what had been the large questions she was asking herself and the way did she discover her means out of that life with him? I feel, it’s exhausting to wrap your head round when she was residing each woman’s dream fantasy. But what was taking place behind closed doorways and what was the human facet of that story? Hopefully persons are taken with that and they’re moved by the story.
I feel they are going to be. Also, it was enjoyable assembly another person who lived in Springfield…
Well, I feel with out having to let you know my story and journey, you already get the bottom degree of what that was like, going from Springfield to this life I’m in now.
You can contact Mike Ryan straight on Twitter.
