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Meet Cailee Spaeny, the Priscilla Presley lookalike starring in Sofia Coppola’s new biopic: Jacob Elordi’s co-star is a brand ambassador for Bulgari, loves her Chanel – and even released a single

US actress Cailee Spaeny has already been in several big films, but is she about to hit the big time with Priscilla? Photo: @caileespaeny/Instagram
Sofia Coppola’s hotly anticipated A24 flick Priscilla just debuted at the Venice International Film Festival to rave reviews. In fact, the biopic – which follows the life of the late Elvis Presley’s one and only wife before they divorced – was such a hit that it received a seven-minute standing ovation at the event, according to Variety.
Sofia Coppola, Priscilla Presley, Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi together at the film premiere for Priscilla at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, in Venice, Italy. Photo: Getty Images

The actors were given permission by the Screen Actors Guild – also known as Sag-Aftra – to promote the film despite the ongoing strike.

The film poster for Priscilla. Photo: @sofiacoppola/Instagram
Based on Priscilla’s 1985 memoir Elvis and Me, the film openly depicts Elvis’ grooming of Priscilla, who was just 14 when they met while Elvis was 24. Priscilla, who was in tears at the film festival, remarked that it was “very difficult to watch a film about you and your life and about your love”, and praised Coppola’s work and research, according to The Guardian.
Cailee Spaeny poses on the red carpet at the premiere of Priscilla at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in Italy. Photo: WireImage

It comes a year after Baz Luhrmann’s hit adaptation of the “Always on My Mind” singer’s life, also simply titled Elvis.

 

Euphoria’s Jacob Elordi plays Elvis – so who filled Priscilla’s shoes for the coveted role?

Here’s everything we know about 25-year-old rising star and Priscilla actress Cailee Spaeny.

Cailee Spaeny is an American actress

Cailee Spaeny grew up in Springfield, Missouri, in the US. Photo: @caileespaeny/Instagram

Spaeny was born to a big family in the city of Springfield in Missouri, in 1998. According to Us Weekly, she grew up with eight siblings, meaning there were “lots of hand-me-down clothes and shopping at second-hand stores and always trying to save money”, she told Vogue in 2020.

Cailee Spaeny has already starred in a string of hits with big acting names. Photo: @caileespaeny/Instagram

In her interview with the publication, the midwestern native said it feels “surreal” to be able to pick her style now and have the opportunities to wear “beautiful dresses” on the red carpet.

She’s starred in a string of hits

Cailee Spaeny has almost 150,000 followers on Instagram. Photo: @caileespaeny/Instagram

According to the Evening Standard, Spaeny began her acting journey as a teen through her homeschool acting group. She later joined her local playhouse, Springfield Little Theatre, to further expand her experience in the art. “I was there probably six days a week just taking dance classes, vocal lessons, acting classes,” she told 417 magazine in 2018. Every summer, she and her mum would drive 25 hours across the country to attend castings in Los Angeles, she told The Glass Magazine.

Spaeny got her big break at 18, debuting in sci-fi film Pacific Rim: Uprising, and has since scored gigs in films including Bad Times at the El Royale (with Jeff Bridges, Dakota Johnson and Chris Hemsworth), On the Basis of Sex (with Felicity Jones and Armie Hammer), Vice (with Christian Bale), Devs, How it Ends and The First Lady.

She sings too

Cailee Spaeny sings too. Photo: @caileespaeny/Instagram

Spaeny’s talents aren’t just limited to acting either. She told The Glass Magazine that her first passion was singing. “[It] was music, and I was taking piano and vocal lessons at the time,” she remarked about her early casting days.

She even released a single “Fallin” in 2016, and there are videos of her covering songs on YouTube.

She isn’t afraid to be bold with fashion

 

From plunging V-neck lace gowns to bedazzled barely there dresses and more casual looks like flannel shirts with Miu Miu totes, Spaeny has been experimenting with daring fashion since she first came on the scene.

Cailee Spaeny at the Chanel show in July. Photo: @beau_nelson/Instagram
In July, she attended the Chanel haute couture autumn/winter 2023-24 show in Paris, where she opted for loud luxury “double C” logo jewellery over an all-black ensemble. She recently scored a gig with Bulgari too, posing in an ad for the brand’s “Reveal Your Light” perfume campaign.

She looks just like Priscilla in her youth

Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley. Photo: @sofiacoppola/Instagram

Spaeny is the spitting image of Presley in her youth.

Elvis Presley poses with wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie Presley in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. Photo: AP

As seen in promo photos from the film, Spaeny’s hair was transformed from short pixie cut to Presley’s signature beehive hairstyle, with winged eyeliner and strong, sharp eyebrows.

Cailee Spaeny and Priscilla Presley attend a photocall for the film Priscilla at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 4, in Venice, Italy. Photo: WireImage

The actress has said she is always looking to pursue jobs outside her comfort zone.

Fresh-faced Cailee Spaeny seems to transform effortlessly into a young Priscilla Presley in the film. Photo: @caileespaeny/Instagram

She told Glass, One of my goals is whatever I’ve done last, I want to do the exact opposite for my next role, I want to keep challenging and pushing myself,” adding that, “I actually feel a sense of relief when I play a character that’s so far from who I am because I think once it starts bleeding into Cailee, it gets a little muddy for me.”

Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny as Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Photo: @love.for.elvis/Instagram

As for Elordi, who plays the “Jailhouse Rock” singer, he too looked the part, changing up his hair and outfits to depict his character in the film.

  • Cailee Spaeny plays the title role in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla biopic alongside Jacob Elordi, which just premiered at the Venice International Film Festival
  • The Springfield native hails from a huge family, got her big break in Pacific Rim: Uprising, and has since starred in films with Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson and Christian Bale