Actor Cailee Spaeny was born in 1998—a full 31 years after Priscilla Beaulieu tied the knot with Rock ’n’ Roll King Elvis Presley. But when it came to portraying her onscreen for the new biopic Priscilla, Spaeny actually had a head start years in the making.
In her biggest role yet, 25-year-old Spaeny stars alongside Jacob Elordi as Elvis in the new movie directed by Sofia Coppola. Priscilla offers a fresh take on Elvis and Priscilla’s turbulent relationship, from their first meeting in 1959 to their marriage eight years later and eventual divorce.
However, it turns out Spaeny already knew quite a bit about the famous couple thanks to her family—specifically her Elvis-obsessed parents, Mark and Reja. Here’s a look at how their fandom foreshadowed Spaeny’s breakout role.
Spaeny’s mother had a shrine to Elvis
Originally born in Tennessee, Spaeny grew up in a large family—she’s one of nine siblings, according to Vanity Fair—in Springfield, Missouri. She has always been drawn to acting, taking classes and voice lessons at her hometown’s Springfield Little Theater as well as performing at nearby theme park Silver Dollar City in Branson.
It’s also clear her parents’ Elvis fandom was a memorable part of her childhood. She went so far as telling Vogue in a September interview her mother was “obsessed” with the famous crooner. “She was an avid collector of his memorabilia and had what seemed like a shrine to him in our house growing up,” she explained to the magazine.
The family even took a road trip to Memphis, Tennessee, to visit the famed Presley family estate, Graceland. Spaeny has a vivid memory of her father walking around the city with tears in his eyes singing Elvis’ 1968 song “If I Can Dream.”
“Growing up, there always seemed to be an Elvis Greatest Hits CD playing in the house and in the car,” said Spaeny, who spent plenty of time on the road. She, her mother, and her two younger siblings drove multiple times from Missouri all the way to Los Angeles so the aspiring actor could appear for theatrical auditions.
However, Spaeny knew little of Priscilla’s story and the behind-the-scenes drama that led to her divorce from the music icon in 1973. “We were raised on Elvis—and I obviously knew Priscilla and Elvis go hand-in-hand,” she told Empire magazine. “I knew the iconic moments and photos, but I didn’t know her story. I thought that was sort of astonishing, that her story wasn’t as well known as it should be.”
Spaeny had a key reference in getting the role
Although Spaeny likely stood out with her background knowledge of Elvis’ music and the Presley family, Coppola cast her primarily because of a referral—from a really good source.
Before she became known for her role as Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man movie trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, actor Kirsten Dunst had a featured role in Coppola’s 1999 film The Virgin Suicides. The two have become close friends since and collaborated again for the 2006 biopic Marie Antoinette.
So when Dunst heard Coppola was looking for someone to play Priscilla Presley, she personally endorsed Spaeny, with whom she worked on the upcoming action film Civil War. “Kirsten is like a sister to me,” Coppola told W magazine, “and when she recommended Cailee, I paid attention.”
Coppola and Spaeny met for breakfast in New York soon after, and the director quickly offered her the role. “Sofia pulled out her iPad and showed me some photos of Priscilla. She said, ‘I think you could do it!’” Spaeny said. “I felt like Kirsten had passed the torch to me.” To begin preparing for the role, Spaeny spoke with Priscilla for four hours and pored through her 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, which serves as the primary inspiration for Coppola’s film.
In the end, Spaeny hopes the already polarizing movie—which doesn’t shy away from the uglier aspects of Priscilla and Elvis’ relationship—gives fans a better understanding of the famous couple. “On top of being her own woman, and a wife, and a mother, Priscilla also had to serve as a representative of Elvis,” she told Vogue. “He was essentially American royalty at the time. That’s a kind of pressure, that’s hard to wrap your head around.”
Priscilla Is Now in Theaters
Coppola and Spaeny are starting to find out how mass audiences react to the movie, as Priscilla is now playing in theaters. So far, the actor’s performance has received acclaim, with Spaeny winning Best Actress at the Venice International Film Festival, where the film debuted in September. Critics have dolled out their own praise as Rolling Stone calls her “an absolute marvel” and Variety declares “the force of her performance is how she enacts Priscilla’s slow-motion melancholy.”
Here’s the official trailer for the A24 film:
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
