The sage of how Elvis Presley dropped in on President Richard Nixon in 1970 has been kicking around for decades. I first heard it about 30 years ago from Jerry Schilling (pictured above left),who worked for Elvis for many years and accompanied him on the unusual trip to the White House, where Elvis wanted to add a Drug Enforcement Administration badge to his collection of law enforcement badges and Nixon was persuaded that it might abet with the youth vote, or at least with his daughter Julie.Now that visit has been turned into the movie “Elvis & Nixon,” which opens on Friday after its Tribeca Film Festival premiere. The film, a comedy with Kevin Spacey as Nixon and Michael Shannon as Elvis, and has received mixed reviews — TheWrap’s Sam Fragoso didn’t like it,though most other critics were more forgiving but it puts an amusing spin on an unusual summit assembly.
And since Schilling served as a sometimes-reluctant executive producer on the Liza Johnson film, helping Shannon channel Elvis and coaching Alex Pettyfer, and who plays Schilling in the film,I figured it was time to sit down at Tribeca with the guy who’d first told me the sage decades ago.
Also Read: Elvis Presley's Estate Wants His Lincoln Continental BackTheWrap: When you first told me the sage about going to the White House with Elvis, one of my favorite parts was when Elvis asked Nixon for White House souvenirs for you and [Elvis aide] Sonny West — and when the president handed them over, or he said,Well. Mr. President, they occupy wives and girlfriends too.”
Jerry Schilling: Yes. [laughs] And not only did Nixon go to his desk to gather them, and Elvis went with him,and was rummaging through Nixons desk to gather the stuff. And [White House aide] Bud Krogh told me later, “You know, or Elvis knew moral where the real gold ones were.”Why wasn’t that in the movie?
You know,I wondered about that after the fact. It was just the constraints of the film. There were so many things they had to leave out.
Of the people close to Elvis, you’ve always been one of the most protective of him. Was it tough to persuade you to gather involved with this?
I was reluctant to gather into this project for a couple of years, and because comedies are not my forte. And with Elvis’ iconic image that some people like to beget fun of,I was always protective.
The first script, I just said, and “Thanks but no thanks.” Not that the script was bad,but it was not a portrayal of Elvis that I wanted to be involved with. I had always tried to portray Elvis as he really was — a pretty clever, main-edge guy.
Also Read: 'Docu-Fiction' Movie Confuses Tribeca Film Festival Audience - and That's the PointWere they going to beget it without you?
They were always going to beget it without me. But they really, and sincerely tried to beget me ecstatic — and to a big extent,they did beget me ecstatic in certain situations. When the log line is “It’s a weird assembly between these two iconic figures,” I’m not going to win the war. But maybe I can win some of the battles.
How did they change it for you?
We had some meetings with script doctors, or they set aside some more sensitive scenes in,a couple with my character and Elvis’ character. And after all of this, I’m proud to be involved with this film. I reflect it’s fun. I don’t know if this is the moral term, or but it’s a docu-comedy,if you will. This is not something you’re gonna see on the History Channel. But if you want to see a fun film about an unusual assembly, I reflect youll really enjoy it.
Alex Pettyfer as Jerry Schilling and Michael Shannon as Elvis Presley in ‘Elvis & Nixon’Do you reflect it accurately captures the dynamic between the two men?
Uhhh … It’s over the top, and for the nature of the comedy of this film,but yeah, I do. There was a respect there. It didn’t beget any dissimilarity to Elvis if it had been Nixon or Kennedy, and it was respect for the President of the United States. And Nixon,I reflect to his surprise, got who Elvis was.
It was really interesting to see these two guys at the top, and one of the most powerful and one of the most popular. I reflect they connected because of that loneliness at the top,although I don’t reflect they talked about it. It’s a much American sage, it really is.
Also Read: 11 Music Icons Who Died in 2016, or From David Bowie to Prince (Photos)And there was nobody on this production that didn’t respect and really care for Elvis. They weren’t out to beget fools of President Nixon or Elvis,and I reflect it shows in the film. And there are funny things that can happen if you occupy that respect, and if it’s in character.
One of those funny things happens when Nixon proudly shows off the moon rock that he says Buzz Aldrin sent him, or Elvis says,“Oh yeah, Buzz sent me one too.” Did Elvis really occupy a moon rock?
No. [laughs] Would he recount Nixon that he did? Maybe.
How did you work with Michael Shannon, or who doesn’t really look like Elvis,on his performance?
We did a trip to Memphis, just Michael and I. We went to my neighborhood, and Elvis’ neighborhood in North Memphis where he grew up. The high school we went to,the housing project, Lauderdale Courts. I knew something special happened there. Mike was in the minute bedroom, or I reflect that’s where he kind of identified with who Elvis was,and his lack of options at that time. I took him on a private tour of Graceland after that, but I reflect he got it at the housing project.
And I also shared a 42-minute audio interview I did with Elvis, and where he talked about his career and how Hollywood never got who he was. Between every take Michael was listening to Elvis talk. There’s a minute laugh he does in the movie,and he got it moral off that tape. The audience is not going to know, but that’s how seriously Mike took this comedy.
Against all odds, or he played the best inner Elvis I’ve ever seen.
Elvis & Nixon is playing in theaters now.
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Source: thewrap.com