Austin Butler might have taken a lot of flowers for his hip-shaking performance as the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis this summer - but there was another star in the making, Olivia DeJonge. She takes on the role of Priscilla Presley, the King's former wife with whom he tied the knot from 1967 until 1973. She served as Elvis' moral compass before his ultimate passing in 1977 and their tumultuous relationship is portrayed so tragically beautiful within this film.
From a commercial standpoint, Elvis reached an outstanding number at the box office, scoring a whopping $270.6 million out of its $85 million budget. For both Austin and Olivia, it was the role of their lifetime and shot their career to whole new heights. So, what's going to be the next saga of Olivia DeJonge's career?
8 Where Olivia DeJonge Is From
Olivia DeJonge was born in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria on April 30, 1998. She eventually moved to Perth later in her life and studied at all-girls Presbyterian Ladies' College. She began acting at the age of 12 while doing her schoolwork and her dad would drive her to auditions.
A year later, she met an agent in the US, as she recalled in an interview with W, "They were so chill about the whole thing. My agents told them, I think you need to take this a bit more seriously because she could make a good career out of it."
7 What Was Olivia DeJonge's Film Debut?
In 2014, Olivia DeJonge's film feature debut arrived in The Sisterhood of Night. Based on Steven Millhauser's 1994 short story of the same name, the mystery thriller film chronicles a group of girls embarking on a dangerous ritual deep into the forest at night. She landed the role after appearing in several short indie films, both local and international.
6 Olivia DeJonge's Role In A M. Night Shyamalan Flick
One year after The Sisterhood of Night, Olivia DeJonge landed the leading role in M. Night Shyamalan's thriller The Visit. Playing the role of one of the two young siblings visiting their estranged grandparents, the film also serves as the director's return to form after a series of cinematic flops. It almost hit the $100 million box office gross out of its "only" $5 million budget.
5 How Old Was Olivia DeJonge When She Got The Priscilla Presley Role
At the age of 22, Olivia DeJonge landed the role of Priscilla Presley. At the time, the filming process had been paused due to the ongoing health crisis, but she recalled that she was "nervous" upon meeting the director. She told Vogue Australia, "When I first met him, I was so, so nervous. I did one audition and that was it ... I obviously want to do the best job I can authentically to Priscilla herself because she’s still alive"
4 Olivia DeJonge Has Always Been Fascinated By Baz Luhrmann's Work
Funnily enough, Olivia DeJonge has always been a fan of Baz Luhrmann's work. In an interview with Aussie outlet The AU Review, she mentions that she's a big fan of his 1996 adaptation of Romeo + Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.
She called it as one of the best that's ever made, saying, "I actually studied that film in 9th grade. A funny little full circle. But yeah, I wrote an essay on it. I should find that essay and show it to him. He can grade it out of 10."
3 Olivia DeJonge In Netflix's Teen Drama The Society
You may know Olivia DeJonge from her breakthrough role as Elle in Netflix's popular yet short-lived series The Society. Having aired back in 2019, the show tells the story of a group of teenagers who must build their civilization from the ground after the rest of the town's population disappears. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled after just one seasons due to COVID-19-related crisis, but the actress didn't miss a beat to move on with her career.
2 Olivia DeJonge Was In Antonio Campos' The Staircase On HBO
Other than Elvis, the 24-year-old actress has been keeping herself busy this year with HBO's latest true-crime series The Staircase. Created by Antonio Campos on the 2004 docuseries of the same name, the series follows novelist Michael Peterson who's convicted of the murder of his wife at the bottom of their home's staircase.
Olivia DeJonge portrays Caitlin, the late wife's daughter from her first marriage.
1 What Has Priscilla Presley Said About Olivia DeJonge's Portrayal?
It must be one intimidating job to portray an actual person, let alone the one and only Priscilla Presley, and Olivia DeJonge has spoken about it numerous times. She told British Vogue in a June 2022 interview, "I remember feeling very intimidated when I got the role, but if you strip it down, she was 21 or 22", and to Elle Australia about Priscilla's reaction to the film, "She said lovely lovely things."
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