Sofia Coppola’s Venice Film Festival entry "Priscilla" has been an emotional ride for Priscilla Presley.
The movie, which explores the early relationship between a 14-year-old Priscilla Presley (portrayed by Cailee Spaeny) and 24-year-old Elvis Presley (portrayed by Jacob Elordi), debuted in Venice Monday. The A24 film is expected to hit theaters on Oct. 27.
"It’s very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life, about your love," Priscilla Presley said before emotionally tearing up, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. "Sofia did an amazing job. She did her homework, we spoke a couple of times and I really put everything out for her that I could."
The 78-year-old matriarch, who was seated in the audience during a news conference for the movie, added: "It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me and why. And I really do think because I was more of a listener. Elvis would pour his heart out to me in every way in Germany: his fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother — which he never, ever got over. And I was the person who really, really sat there to listen and to comfort him. That was really our connection."
Priscilla Presley insisted despite their age gap that her relationship with the King of Rock 'n' Roll was rooted in mutual respect. "Even though I was 14, I was actually a little bit older in life — not in numbers," she said. "That was the attraction. People think, ‘Oh, it was sex.’ No, it wasn’t. I never had sex with him. He was very kind, very soft, very loving, but he also respected the fact I was only 14 years old. We were more in line in thought, and that was our relationship."
"I didn’t know why he put so much trust in me, but he did. And I never, ever, ever told anyone that I was seeing him, and that was another issue that he loved, is the fact that I never gave him up in any way. I never told anyone at school that I was seeing him," she continued, describing the early years of her romance with Elvis Presley. "So, we built a relationship and then our relationship went on until I left."
Priscilla Presley added that their relationship ending was not "because I didn’t love him — he was the love of my life."
"It was the lifestyle that was so difficult for me, and I think any woman can relate to that. But it didn’t mar our relationship, we still remained very close. And of course, we had our daughter (Lisa Marie Presley), and I made sure that he saw her all the time. It was like we never left each other," she concluded.
Lisa Marie Presley, a singer and the only child of Elvis Presley, died at a California hospital at age 54 on Jan. 12 after paramedics answered a 911 call reporting a woman in cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County coroner is still investigating the singer's cause of death. She was laid to rest at her family home, Graceland, on Jan. 22.
Riley Keoughnamed Lisa Marie Presley estate's sole trustee, Priscilla to be buried at Graceland
Elvis Presley has been a popular culture icon for half a century but with rave reviews of Austin Butler's performance as the King of Rock 'n' Roll in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 flick "Elvis," the conversation around the late star has flourished.
However, "Elvis" glazed over his relationship with his wife. While viewers catch a glimpse of the couple's chemistry and are made aware of the 10-year age gap, "Elvis" mostly glosses over the bracing reality that the two met while he was stationed in Germany in 1959 when Priscilla was 14.
Contributing: Morgan Hines, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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