Elvis, a star so ingrained in American culture that he needs no introduction beyond his first name, has been portrayed by a myriad of actors in various films over the decades.

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Naturally, people started comparing the 196cm Australian actor to Butler, who earned an Oscar nomination for his performance.

The comparisons are inevitable, but they’re unnecessary. And with Priscilla now in theatres across the globe, it’s even clearer that these two Elvises aren’t meant to compete with each other.

Austin Butler in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis

Luhrmann’s Elvis is about the titular character’s superstardom and issues with his manipulative manager.

The film is a glitzy retelling of Elvis’ origin story, from his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise – from the perspective of his controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

It’s largely focused on Elvis as the entertainer and showman that most people are familiar with. There are spectacular, dazzling musical numbers, where Butler dons the iconic, bedazzled costumes as he croons and hip-shakes in venues filled with adoring fans.

Elvis is far more about the musician’s fraught business relationship with Parker than his romance with Priscilla (Olivia DeJonge). She’s depicted as a supportive wife for most of her limited screen time, until his drug problem gets out of control and she leaves him. Even after their marriage ends, she’s sympathetic to his struggles and encourages him to take time off for his health.

To play Elvis, Butler spent two years preparing, working with a dialect coach, a singing coach, a movement coach, and an acting coach. He immersed himself so deeply into the role that he couldn’t shake off his Elvis accent long after the movie hit theatres.

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This rigorous, physically demanding process makes sense for an actor leading a movie as Elvis. But it doesn’t need to be replicated by a star playing the legendary rocker as a side character in someone else’s story.

Jacob Elordi in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla

Girlhood is a common theme in Coppola’s films, and Priscilla is no exception.

Because she meets Elvis when he’s already a star, Priscilla doesn’t spend any time on his backstory. Priscilla, and the viewers of the movie, are already fully aware of who he is.

The movie doesn’t glamorise Elvis, nor does it completely vilify him. Instead, it portrays him as a charming, charismatic man who’s also capable of being unfaithful to Priscilla and succumbing to his temper by being physically and emotionally abusive.

Elordi’s performance didn’t require extensive singing or dancing lessons, but he worked diligently to nail his character’s Southern drawl and, in turn, earned the real Priscilla’s seal of approval.

Whereas Luhrmann’s film ends with one of Elvis’ final performances, weeks before his death in August 1977 at age 42 – and makes it clear that Parker faced consequences for his fraudulence – Priscilla concludes with the promise of a liberating, fresh start for its main character.

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While watching the latter movie, we shouldn’t be focusing on Elvis at all – let alone whether Elordi beat Butler in some imaginary competition. Doing so only discredits the very premise of Coppola’s movie and sidelines Spaeney’s powerful performance.