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
The actors were given permission by the Screen Actors Guild – also known as Sag-Aftra – to promote the film despite the ongoing strike.
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
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.
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
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
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.
She looks just like Priscilla in her youth
Spaeny is the spitting image of Presley in her youth.
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.
The actress has said she is always looking to pursue jobs outside her comfort zone.
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.”
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