Austin Butler's Refusal To Let Go Of Elvis At The 2023 Golden Globes Has Fans Seriously Bewildered

Austin Butler, who had a pair of huge blue suede shoes to fill in Baz Luhrmann's biopic of Elvis Presley in his film "Elvis," beat out quite a few other talented folks to win his Golden Globe for best actor in a drama for the role. Butler beat Brendan Fraser's nomination for "The Whale" and Bill Nighy for "Living" to name a few (via Barron's). Earlier in the evening, Butler wished fellow actor Jacob Elordi luck in playing The King in a future film in an interview with Variety.

"I just wish him all the best," Butler said of Elordi who will be playing Elvis in Sofia Coppola's forthcoming film "Priscilla." "I hope he has a great time." But later in the evening, after winning his first Golden Globe, fans were left baffled by Butler's sentiments. It wasn't what he said that had them confused, though. Rather, it was that he couldn't seem to stop being Elvis.

Fans flocked to social media following Austin Butler's acceptance speech for his Golden Globe award for playing Elvis. They noticed that he hasn't let go of being The King of Rock 'n Roll. One user wrote, "Austin Butler needs to lose the Elvis voice we get it already." Meanwhile, another took it a step further and wrote, "When is congress going to hold a hearing on Austin Butler's voice." Fans were really not holding back with their criticism of Butler's choice of voice following the film either.

Some users are posting clips of Butler's work pre-"Elvis," to show how much his speaking voice has seemingly changed since taking the role. One user pointed to his time on "The Carrie Diaries." Another said what a lot of viewers might have also been thinking: "it would've been hilarious if Austin Butler switched off the Elvis voice mid-acceptance speech for the award." We'll see if Butler returns to his original tonality, or sticks with his "Hound Dog" side.

Nicki Swift spoke to a body language expert to analyze Austin Butler's Elvis voice during his acceptance speech at the Golden Globes. Having spent more than three years training for his role in "Elvis," Jess Ponce III said Elvis Presley became an integral part of Butler in the figurative and quite literal sense. "A self-proclaimed shy boy, this role has broken through to something special. ... He embodies the tone of Elvis, I believe in many ways, Butler is discovering his voice," said Ponce. "For now, I think it's challenging for him to turn it off." While Butler can certainly switch his voice to his natural range, Ponce believes it's hard for the actor to get out of character during exciting moments like the Golden Globes. "[He's] living the dream. He's like an excited child opening a birthday present again and again. That's what we saw in his Golden Globe acceptance speech," said Ponce. "In fact, he's actually basking in this moment in almost every public appearance."

Back in June, Butler told Elle Australia he was well aware of the change in his voice after taking on his role in the biopic. "I hear that a lot. But I didn't do anything else for two years," the actor pointed out. "I'm not surprised that it clicks in," the body language expert explained, adding: "What will be interesting to see is if Butler, like Elvis, ultimately has range. ... For now, he definitely has that baritone soulful cadence. Live it up. We get it. We like it. But we can't wait to see what's next."

In an interview with Yahoo! Australia in 2022, Austin Butler acknowledged how imitating Elvis Presley for years impacted the way he talked and moved in real life. "Certain situations trigger it, I think. For one, being surrounded by his name everywhere," he told the outlet. "It is so habitual at the end. You get done, and you kind of don't remember what your natural voice is." He also responded to comparisons of his voice from his recent and past interviews, noting that some of them were filmed when he was a teenager. "I think a lot of the comparisons that people drew to my voice are me when I was like 17 years old. I'm 30 now, so my voice has dropped a bit," he pointed out. "So yeah. Voices are a funny thing."

Despite the flak he's got for his "fake" Elvis voice, many were still happy for Butler after he scored his first best actor win at this year's Golden Globes. During his acceptance speech, the 31-year-old actor thanked the cast and crew of "Elvis" and the King of Rock and Roll. "And lastly, Elvis Presley himself. You were an icon and a rebel. And I love you so much. Thank you," he said. "You are remembered and I will never forget." Well done, Austin!