Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla is a masterful look at two American, pop culture icons and their complicated relationship. The film follows Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) as she meets Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) and their relationship grows. We were honored to speak with Spaeny about her background with the famous story and how she managed to portray the famous Priscilla from age fourteen to late twenties in the film.

Kenzie Vanunu: Hi Cailee! So incredible to meet you. First of all, congratulations on the film and as well as winning the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival, what an incredible and well-deserved achievement!
Cailee Spaeny: Nice to meet you, too! That’s very nice. Thank you.

Kenzie Vanunu: When the film first came to you, were you familiar with the memoir already or did you read it after you were made aware of the project?
Cailee Spaeny: Well, I think this was so interesting about this story coming my way. For me, personally, because my family, they they were massive Elvis fans. You know, I grew up in Southern Missouri and I was born in Tennessee. You know, we grew up going to Graceland as a kid. His music was always playing. My mom collected like Elvis memorabilia, you know, we were like massive fans. And so when the story ended up coming my way through Sofia, it was sort of odd to me that I hadn’t ever heard this side of the story, Priscilla’s side of the story. So I think that that was sort of fascinating from my point of view, that this really needed to be told and sort of cared for and it was time to hear her side of things.

Kenzie Vanunu: Yeah, for sure. I was a huge fan of the memoir growing up because my family was also very big Elvis fans, but my grandma was always like, ‘you have to read this part of it!’
Cailee Spaeny: Oh, go grandma!

Kenzie Vanunu: When did you first speak to Priscilla herself? Was it isolated to just before you began filming or did you speak with her throughout filming?
Cailee Spaeny: Yeah, I got her contact information through Sofia shortly after I had gotten the role. I read her book. And then we sat down for lunch. I was incredibly nervous. I had like, prepped all these questions. And they all went out the window the second she sat down in front of me. It was an awkward beat and I remember Priscilla, you know, being so sweet. But going, ‘so are there any questions you want to ask me?’ And I was thinking ‘yes,’ but I wanted her to feel safe and comfortable. And I didn’t want to sort of drill her on this, I didn’t want to feel like she was being interviewed. I just want her to feel sort of relaxed and tell me whatever she felt comfortable to relive again.

So we met for the first time, we ended up talking for four hours. And you know, these conversations ranged from her talking about her time with Elvis to, you know, her animal animal activism and how much she loves her dogs, but just being able to be in front of her and take her in, and how she holds herself and what she cares about. She’s so soft spoken. But she’s got this fierceness behind her. And she’s incredibly loving and protective over her family.

And then we had a couple more meetings and talked on the phone a few more times. But once I started filming, I really had to just trust the research I had done and dive in and sort of jump out of the plane to figure it out as as you go down. And because it was a 30 day shoot, it was just so much to sort of get done in such a short amount of time. And I think if I would have talked to her while I was filming, I think I would have been so focused on getting everything right instead of feeling like I had sort of freedom to play within the scenes, and sort of do my own take on it. But then, you know, I had the pleasure of getting to speak with her after the film premiered in Venice. And you know, I didn’t know what her thoughts or reaction was going to be. And I watched the film for the first time with her in the room, which was an interesting choice on my part to do is.

But she you know, she looked visibly moved after watching the movie. She was so sweet. And she took me aside and said, ‘amazing performance and I got to watch my life through you.’ That was sort of all I ever could have hoped for when making this film because I just wanted her to feel protected and safe and felt like she really got to tell her side of the story in a way that she felt was true. So that’s sort of all I need.

Kenzie Vanunu: That’s so important that she was the one who got to tell you that first and that the way she felt is obviously the most important person’s point of view on this.
Cailee Spaeny: Absolutely, it is everything.

Kenzie Vanunu: I know the shoot was so quick and you play Priscilla over many years from a ninth grader all the way to late twenties, how did you approach playing each age? 
Cailee Spaeny: Yeah, it was 14 [years old] to 27 [years old]. It was a really challenging thing to take on especially because, you know, I remember asking, like, ‘is there any way we could try to shoot this more in order’ and [the schedule] doesn’t allow it like, okay, haha. So that’s something I really tried to map out before I went on to film the movie. Because, you know, I’d be different ages throughout the day.

But costume with hair and makeup were really helpful and grounding that of where I was, and sort of how I held myself and my mannerisms and, you know, the emotional arc that she was on. So that was something that I leaned heavily on.

And, you know, like I said, you just try to do as much research as you can, and you know, tons of notes and trying to really break down what was going out going on through the years and her life and you just do as much as much prep as you possibly can. And then you just hope for the best when the cameras start rolling.

Kenzie Vanunu: It was really the quiet moments for me where I saw just how complex your performance was. There are obviously many scenes where Priscilla is much more of an observer as Elvis socializes with the Memphis Mafia and his family, you never allow Priscilla to feel like a decoration as many other actors may have let her just fall into the background. You portray her in a manner which we can always see her thinking of how to anticipate what Elvis wants and expects of her, but she never comes across calculating. Was this something you and Sofia spoke about or even Priscilla herself?
Cailee Spaeny: Yeah, I think that was definitely an interesting challenge. For me you know, this is the Priscilla story the movie’s called Priscilla and I’m playing Priscilla. But when I read the script, and I was on a on a phone call with Jacob, and we were both sort of going, ‘you have way more dialogue in this. This is interesting.’ But you know, we knew that was all intentional and I think on Sofia’s part, through the research of Priscilla’s life, and things that she told me herself that she really was just an observer of his life and really didn’t get a lot of opportunities to speak up, say her point of view, she never even she never felt like she could express her loneliness or her struggles to him, that she always had to be there for him to, to sort of unload. And that really wasn’t a part of their relationship to get to say her side of things.

And she is very sort of soft spoken and quiet. So but to get to need to show that arc. And that transformation that she went through with little dialogue was definitely challenging. And a lot had to be said in those quiet moments and through looks, or gestures. But I think it’s something that Sofia does incredibly beautifully. And you see in a lot of her films that she can say so much just on a still frame that she hangs on for a moment, and she lets you take in.

One of my favorite moments is when Priscilla is putting on false eyelashes before she goes off and gives birth. I think that says so many different things and speaks on so many different things. And so are the moments where, you know, this young girl’s sort of walking around alone in Graceland and trying to figure out where her place is in this world. So I think you know, you couldn’t have picked a better person to directed and to tell the story than Sofia.

Kenzie Vanunu: Yeah, I completely agree! I was so excited when this project was announced with Sofia at the helm. And then when you were announced as our leading lady!
Cailee Spaeny: Aw, thank you!

Kenzie Vanunu: Once again, just huge congratulations on this film, you are so incredible in it, one of the best performances of the year. I can’t wait for the world to see the film and your performance. I’m so excited to see what you do next!
Cailee Spaeny: Aw, that is so nice. Thank you! Great speaking with you.

You can read our review of Priscilla here.
The film is exclusively in theaters now.