Elvis “respected” that Priscilla Presley was only 14 when they started dating, so that’s good

Priscilla Presley says Sofia Coppola did an "amazing" job with her biopic, but she also wants to make some details clear

By Sam Barsanti  |  September 5, 2023 | 8:12pm
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Elvis “respected” that Priscilla Presley was only 14 when they started dating, so that’s good
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Sofia Coppola and Priscilla Presley Photo: Kristy Sparow

Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla just had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and as part of the festival festivities, the real Priscilla Presley—whose 1985 memoir Elvis And Me was the basis for the film—had an opportunity to talk about her relationship with Elvis and how well the film actually captured it. During a press conference for the film (via Insider), someone asked Presley what it was like seeing her story onscreen (as opposed to previous biopics, which have depicted Elvis’ story), and a visibly emotional Presley first noted that it was “very difficult” to sit and watch a film that was “about you, about your life, about your love.”

Priscilla press conference: Sofia Coppola, Cailee Spaeny, Jacob Elordi, Priscilla Presley

She also made a point to insist that the 10-year age gap between her and Elvis wasn’t as much of a problem as it seems like it was on paper—he was 24 and she was 14 when they started dating. She explained to the crowd at the press conference that her parents had a hard time understanding why Elvis was “interested” in her, but she thinks it was because she was “more of a listener” than other people he had met and that he was able to openly share his thoughts and feelings with her.

“Even though I was 14,” she added, “I was actually a little bit older in life. Not in numbers.” Presley also noted that Elvis “respected” her age when they first got together, saying they didn’t actually have sex until later (they didn’t get married until she was in her 20s) and that he was “very kind, very soft, very loving” with her. Apparently, as far as she’s concerned, this was all depicted accurately in the film, with Presley also saying that Coppola did an “amazing job” telling her story and that she “did her homework.

Priscilla comes out in theaters on October 27.

 
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