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Toni Basil has been working as a choreographer in films from the ’70s to the 2000s. She has several credits for movies like American Graffitiย (1973), The Rose (1979), Peggy Sue Got Marriedย (1986), Something to Talk Aboutย (1995), That Thing You Do (1996), My Best Friend’sย Weddingย (1997), Legally Blonde (2001), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blondeย (2003), Charlieย Wilson’s War (2007), and The House Bunny (2008).
Recently, the 79-year-old opened up to Yahoo Entertainment about being contracted to coach Austin Butler for his role in the new Elvis biopic. โBecause I danced in the โ60s, and I still can dance,” Basil said. “I’m probably the only one alive that did dance in the โ60s and can coach it [Austin Butler].”
Toni Basil gives details of how she came to work with Austin Butler
![Toni Basil](https://doyouremember.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/als-association-golden-west-chapter-los-angeles-co...-scaled-e1678459038555.jpg)
The “Mickey” crooner revealed to Yahoo Entertainment that she was informed by a vocal teacher about the need to coach Austin Butler. โI was told, โThis guy is auditioning for Elvis. We think you’re the one to work with him. Since you worked with the real Elvis, you’ll be able to coach him,โโ Basil told the news outlet. โThere were no instructions. But I didn’t need instructions. โA guy is auditioning for Elvis? Cool. I know exactly what to do.โโ
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The 79-year-old also stated that the role of Elvis was a highly competitive one with many actors like Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Harry Styles trying to land the lead role in the Baz Luhrmann film. She also revealed that Butler got the job because he interpreted the role exactly the way the director wanted.
โThey all wanted the role really badly, but Austin just worked so hard. I think Austin encompassed the many things that it was going to take โ because it wasn’t just how you danced and how you popped your knees, you know?” Basil said. “There was something much more to it. He embodied a lot of the talent, a lot of the pieces, of what needed to go into being Elvis. And I do think he captured Elvis โ in his own way, and in Baz Luhrmannโs way.โ
Toni Basil reveals how she coached Austin Butler
The 79-year-old disclosed that while coaching Butler for the role of Elvis, she had to explore the full character of Elvis Presley’s complex personality. โElvis wasn’t so subtleโ when it came to his โsignature moves that he always used,” Basil told the outlet. “If you go back to his early days through his Vegas days, there were many signature moves โ and it wasn’t a lot of different moves.”
โAnd he went through several decades of Elvisโs life. When you are doing the life of someone like Elvis, who everyone can go back and see on YouTube or go back and see his films, that’s really stepping in there,” she continued. “There’s a real fine line of, โIs it going to be a caricature of this person or a reality?โ You know, where is that fine line? Because Elvis was very broad.โ
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Basil claimed that Austin learned to embody his character so well by watching performances of the late Elvis Presley. โYou don’t tell. You can’t tell someone. It’s physical. But it’s so easy to look at all of Elvisโs old early videos, late videos,” the singer concluded. “There’s so much material on him. So, weโd grab a song and begin to imitate Elvis’s movement and put it on Austin. โฆ First, we worked on the obvious movements. And he just took to the movement. In the beginning, it was foreign to him, but I never thought, โOoh, I don’t know if he’s going to get this.โ He moved seamlessly. Moved through it by hard work.โ