Tom Hanks, Baz Luhrmann discuss latter’s role as Colonel Parker in ‘Elvis’

• Baz Luhrmann had never worked with Tom Hanks before and his quick ‘yes’ came as a complete shock.
• The film, which also stars Austin Butler, looks at Elvis Presley’s life through the prism of his tangled connection with Colonel Parker.

Baz Luhrmann cast Tom Hanks in the part of Colonel Parker, noting, “I’d never worked with Tom previously, but I just told him the story and before I even got to the video I’d brought along to show him what I had in mind, he said, ‘Well, if you want me I’m your guy.’ What a gift!”

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According to Parker, the film explores the two’s complicated relationship over the course of 20 years, from Presley’s ascent to success to his unprecedented stardom, all set against the background of America’s changing cultural environment and loss of innocence. Priscilla Presley, one of Elvis’ most significant and influential persons, is at the heart of that trip (essayed by Olivia DeJonge).

When asked about the actual Parker, Hanks responds, “He was both a genius and a scoundrel. He was a very disciplined man, a wicked smart businessman and a dime-squeezing skinflint, but also a pioneer in a big type of show business that did not exist until Elvis Presley came along. He knew instantaneously that Elvis was a unique artiste, he saw his grand potential and knew that if he didn’t make a ton of money off him, somebody else would.”

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Interestingly, the Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Laal Singh Chaddha,’ the official Indian remake of Tom Hanks’ 1994 classic ‘Forrest Gump,’ is due to hit theatres on August 11.

Along with Butler and Hanks, the film also features award-winning theatrical actor Helen Thomson as Elvis’ mother Gladys, Richard Roxburgh as Elvis’ father Vernon, and DeJonge as Priscilla, among others. On June 24, ‘Elvis’ will be released in Indian theatres.