Austin Butler wishes Lisa Marie Presley “was here” to celebrate his Oscar nomination for Elvis.
Lisa Marie, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, died on 12 January aged 54, and her public memorial took place at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday after she was laid to rest in the estate’s Meditation Garden privately.
On Tuesday, two days after attending the service, Butler landed his first Oscar nomination for portraying her father in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis.
Reacting to his nomination via a phone call to TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, Butler said, “It’s sort of a bittersweet moment right now because I think about how much I wish she was here right now to get to celebrate with me… It’s the same thing I feel with Elvis, I wish that they could see these moments. It feels kind of strange to celebrate at a time of such deep grief. I sort of think of it as a way to honour her.”
He also admitted he was “still processing” the recognition and called the news “an exciting way to wake up”.
In a separate phone interview with Variety on Tuesday, the 31-year-old was asked how it felt to say goodbye to Lisa Marie on Sunday.
“It’s been a devastating time. It’s a deep heartbreak that I’m still not fully able to comprehend right now. I wish she was here right now to celebrate with us,” he stated.
Lisa Marie died two days after she attended the Golden Globe Awards with her mother Priscilla to support the Elvis movie and watch Butler win the Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama prize.
To take home the Best Actor Academy Award, Butler must beat Brendan Fraser for The Whale, Colin Farrell for The Banshees of Inisherin, Paul Mescal for Aftersun and Bill Nighy for Living.
The 95th Oscars will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 12 March.