Austin Butler continued his season’s success by winning the BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor during Sunday’s ceremony.
Butler won the award for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the 2022 Baz Luhrmann film “Elvis”.
The Elvis twang still intact, Butler thanked the Presley family for their “love and sharing with me who Elvis really was.”
“I hope I have done you proud,” he said. “It means the world to me.”
The actor didn’t name any specific family members onstage, but speaking to the press after the show, Butler said, “It’s a really sad time.”
“Grieving is a long process. My heart and my love are always with him.” I am honored to welcome him to the family. This is a bitter time.
His comments come as the battle over the estate of the late Lisa Marie Presley continues between Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter Riley Keough, who is the sole executor of the estate.
Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley’s only daughter, died in January with Butler at the Golden Globe Awards.
The BAFTA win for Butler’s portrayal of the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” set the pace for the actor’s awards season. Butler was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for “Elvis” and won a Best Actor Golden Globe for the performance in January. He has also been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Despite BAFTA president Krishnendu Majumdar’s 2020 statement pledging diversity within the organisation, the top four main performance category awards went to white actors on Sunday. “The Banshees of Inishrin” actors Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan won BAFTA awards in the supporting performance categories, and Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for her role in “Tar”.