(SPOT.ph) We've barely passed this year's halfway mark and already we have more than a handful of standout performances from films this year; Robert Pattinson making the role of Batman his own, Michelle Yeoh establishing her own multiverse in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and whatever drugs Jake Gyllenhaal seemingly took for his intense performance in Ambulance.
However, two performances that we think are particularly phenomenal in their own respect are Miles Teller as Goose's son Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick and Austin Butler as Elvis Presley in the new biopic by director Baz Luhrmann. We honestly can't see any other actor make either role their own as well as these two thespians have, which is why it's surprising we almost ended up in the alternate universe where they swapped roles.
Also read: Elvis Has Left the Building: Here Are 10 Musical Documentaries You Can Stream on Netflix
Here's what we know about Austin Butler's and Miles Teller's Top Gun and Elvis auditions:
In an interview with Variety, casting director Denise Chamian, CSA revealed the casting processes behind both Top Gun: Maverick and Elvis, both films that she casted for. Chamian revealed that Butler came close to landing the role of Rooster in Top Gun: Maverick, which ultimately went to Teller.
However, as Chamian was impressed by Butler, she put him up for the Elvis role, which Luhrmann initially envisioned Teller and even Harry Styles for. The role ultimately went to Butler, making it a win for everyone involved (well, except maybe Styles, but he appeared in Eternals and just put out an album, so he's good).
It should be noted that filming for Maverick took place between 2018 and 2019, and the film only came out this year due to multiple release delays caused by the pandemic. This is why Teller was also available for the Elvis role.
Another interesting anecdote about Teller's role in Maverick was that he discovered jet fuel in his bloodstream due to many hours spent filming the fighter pilot sequences for the film. In an interview with IndieWire, Teller said that he told Tom Cruise that he had jet fuel in his blood, which Cruise then replied to by saying, "Yeah, I was born with it, kid."
Butler can pull of jet fuel in his blood, but can Teller pull of deepthroating a microphone while performing an Elvis number? Guess we'll never know.
As for when we'll see both actors next, we can catch Butler when he portrays Feyd-Rautha (picture: Evil Timothée Chalamet) in the upcoming Dune: Part Two, while Teller will next appear in a voice role in the animated film The Ark and the Aardvark, somewhat an adaptation of Noah's Ark, but with Teller voicing an aardvark as the lead role.
Elvis is now playing in PH cinemas. Currently, there's no release date for Top Gun: Maverick's release on home media.
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