Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, reportedly sent two emails to Sofia Coppola, the director of the new film Priscilla, expressing her dismay and anger over the script. The emails, obtained by Variety, reveal that Lisa Marie Presley thought the film was “shockingly vengeful and contemptuous” and portrayed her father as “a predator and manipulative”. She also warned Coppola that she would have to publicly oppose the film and go against her mother, who is an executive producer and a supporter of the project.
The emails were sent in September 2022, four months before Lisa Marie Presley died of cardiac arrest in January 2023. She had been struggling with health issues and grief over the death of her son, Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020.
Priscilla: A Biopic Based on Priscilla Presley’s Memoir
Priscilla is a biopic based on Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, which chronicles her relationship with Elvis Presley, from their first meeting in Germany in 1959 when she was 14 and he was 24, to their marriage in 1967 and their divorce in 1973. The film stars Kirsten Dunst as Priscilla Presley and Tom Hiddleston as Elvis Presley. It is directed by Sofia Coppola, who is known for her films such as The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and The Beguiled.
The film has received critical acclaim and is considered a contender for the awards season. It opened in limited release on October 27 and will expand to wide release on November 3. However, it has also sparked controversy and debate over its depiction of Elvis Presley and his relationship with Priscilla Presley, especially in light of the age difference and the power dynamics between them.
Lisa Marie Presley’s Criticism of the Film
In one of her emails to Coppola, Lisa Marie Presley wrote:
My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative. As his daughter, I don’t read this and see any of my father in this character. I don’t read this and see my mother’s perspective of my father. I read this and see your shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective and I don’t understand why?
She also compared the film unfavorably to Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic Elvis, which starred Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley. She praised that film as “a break from suffering and a ray of light” and accused Coppola of “attempting to take my father down on the heels of such an incredible film using the excuse that you are trying to tell my mother’s story, but from your very dark and jaded reality”.
She also expressed her concern for her mother, who she said had spent her whole life elevating her father’s legacy. She said she was worried that her mother did not understand the intentions behind the film or the outcome it would have. She said she felt protective of her mother and her family, who had to endure another hit in their lives.
She concluded by saying:
I will be forced to be in a position where I will have to openly say how I feel about the film and go against you, my mother and this film publicly.
Sofia Coppola’s Response to Lisa Marie Presley
Coppola responded to Lisa Marie Presley’s emails by saying that she hoped that she would feel differently when she saw the final film. She said that she was taking great care in honoring her mother, while also presenting her father with sensitivity and complexity. She said that she was not trying to be vengeful or contemptuous, but rather to tell a story that was honest and human.
Coppola also said that she had a lot of respect for Elvis Presley and his music, and that she did not want to diminish his legacy or his talent. She said that she wanted to show him as a complex person who had his own struggles and challenges. She said that she understood that it was hard for Lisa Marie Presley to see her father portrayed in a different light than what she was used to, but that she hoped that she would appreciate the film as a tribute to both of her parents.
