Harry Styles, An Icon, Was Simply Too Famous To Play Elvis, Another Icon

Did you know Harry Styles’s first-ever recorded song was apparently a cover of Elvis Presley’s version of “The Girl of My Best Friend?” The “Watermelon Sugar” singer grew up listening to The King as a kid, so naturally, he eventually became a frontrunner to play the legend for director Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis biopic. But alas, it was not meant to be.

“Harry is a really talented actor. I would work on something with him [but] the real issue with Harry is, he’s Harry Styles,” Luhrmann said to Australian radio podcast Fitzy & Wippa this week. “He’s already an icon.”

But don’t worry, the two have no hard feelings. “Harry and I came to a place, genuinely I mean, he was just desperate to put the suit on and explore,” he said. “He’s such a great spirit and I have nothing but great things to say about Harry Styles.”

Styles was reportedly in the running for the lead role alongside big names like Ansel Elgort and Miles Teller. As showcased in an exclusive clip that premiered during the MTV Movie & TV Awards on June 5, the titular role of Elvis was instead given to actor Austin Butler.

“The thing about Aust was that he will tell you himself, I didn’t pick him — it’s as if he was drawn, like the role drew him in because he was almost born to play it,” Luhrmann said.

If you’re still disappointed, Styles already has a couple of roles lined up in the upcoming films Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman. Previously, he held a supporting role in 2017 war film Dunkirk, playing a British soldier named Alex, and recently made a cameo as Eros/Starfox in Marvel’s Eternals.

Currently, Styles is topping the charts since the release of his third studio album, Harry’s House, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and several other charts in multiple countries. Lead single “As It Was” still sits atop the Hot 100, and three songs from the album have debuted in the chart’s Top 10: “Late Night Talking” (No. 4), “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” (No. 8) and “Matilda” (No. 9). Harry’s House remains a partying homestead for sure.