“My body just started shutting down the day after I finished Elvis,” the star told GQ.
“I woke up at four in the morning with excruciating pain and I was rushed to the hospital.”
Doctors diagnosed Butler with a virus which evokes pain comparable to having an appendicitis, leaving the star bedridden for an extended period of time.
Watch the latest trailer for Elvis:
Was Austin's suffering worth it?
Priscilla Presley seems to think so!
Posting to Facebook, Presley said the film ‘is a true story told brilliantly and creatively that only Baz [Luhrmann], in his unique artistic way, could have delivered.’
“Austin Butler, who played Elvis is outstanding. Halfway through the film Jerry [Schilling – a close friend of Elvis’s] and I looked at each other and said WOW!!! Bravo to him.”
Priscilla was recently in Australia to unveil the Bendigo Art Gallery’s current exhibition, Elvis: Direct from Graceland, which features a variety of The King's personal items, including many of the iconic outfits that were lovingly recreated for the film.
‘Elvis’ hits Australian cinemas on June 23rd.
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