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

did you realize 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 obviously, he eventually became a frontrunner to play the legend for director Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Elvis biopic. Yet alas, it was not meant to be.


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


Nevertheless 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 mentioned. “He’s such a fantastic spirit and I have nothing although wonderful things to mention 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 throughout the MTV Movie & TV Awards on June 5, the titular role of Elvis was alternatively given to actor Austin Butler.


“The thing about Aust was that he is going to 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 place on Earth to play it,” Luhrmann said.


If you’re still disappointed, Styles already has a few roles lined up in the upcoming films Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman. Previously, he contained 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 a few other charts in numerous 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.