Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi star in Priscilla, which is based on the memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. The movie is currently playing in theaters nationwide.

When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame.

“I think showing the whole range of playing this character was so important in a genuine way,” Spaeny expressed to me, reflecting on which chapter of Priscilla’s life was the most difficult to portray. “It was quite the challenge of playing 14 and making sure it felt believable because it was such a important part of the storytelling.”

Elordi continued by sharing, “For me, I think the most interesting part was playing Elvis older because I’m obviously not that age myself and we didn’t have any of the kind of prosthetics or anything to kind of build out him at that age. So it was all internal, and it was just really enjoyable and tricky too to kind of dive into him as an older man and build him, based off of what was happening in his life internally as opposed to external.”

We discussed how the roles of Priscilla and Elvis challenged them, the most rewarding part of working together, and how they would best tease the story for audiences.

Watch my interview here:

Please note: this film was given an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA. In support of the strike, please donate to the Entertainment Community Fund.