The night Bruce Springsteen broke into Graceland in a bid to meet Elvis Presley: 'He was a fast runner'

20 June 2024, 15:36

Elvis Presley actor Austin Butler has revealed Bruce Springsteen was once so determined to sing to The King that he allegedly broke into his Memphis home.

Bruce Springsteen may be one of the greatest performers of his generation, but even he was in awe of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley.

Elvis actor Austin Butler was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show, when the pair recalled a story Bruce Springsteen told them about his attempt to meet Elvis Presley.

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Butler went on to say that 'fast runner' Springsteen said he jumped over the Graceland gates and evaded the King's guard dogs in a bid to present Elvis Presley with a song.

The pair went on to say that fans would be shocked to discover Bruce Springsteen was in his 30s and already a famous performer when the incident allegedly occurred.

Recalling a recent party they had both attended, Kimmel said to Butler: "I got to watch Bruce Springsteen tell you a story about Elvis. Do you remember the story?"

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"I had heard this sort of mythical story," Butler replied, "and then to hear from him of him being a huge Elvis fan, and then hopping the gates at Graceland to try and get up there. He knocked on the door and he wanted to give Elvis a song to sing."

"Do you remember what he said to the guy? 'Is Elvis home?'" Kimmel laughed, with Butler continuing: "And he said, ‘No, he’s in Tahoe,’ or something."

"And this is when Bruce Springsteen, by the way, had been on the cover of Time magazine, on the cover of Rolling Stone," Kimmel said.

"I mean, he was not like some unknown kid from New Jersey. He was famous, jumped over the fence..."

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"Somehow evaded the dogs," Butler added. "He’s a fast runner."

Kimmel remembered: "And he gave the guy a song he had written for Elvis and then Elvis never – I don’t know. Nothing happened. He didn’t record the song."

"I’m so bummed I never got to hear that song," Butler concluded.

Austin Butler played Elvis Presley in the Baz Luhrmann-directed Elvis, following the life and career of the late music icon, under the controversial stewardship of Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.

In an exclusive interview with Gold, Austin and Baz spoke to James Bassam about making the film, and in particular, shooting the legendary Comeback Special show from 1968.

"We went through COVID, and the film was almost shut down," said Baz. "There was a time when I almost had to say to Austin, 'I don’t think the film is going to happen.'

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"And he just double-downed on working, working, working, working. So we finally come back, and the first thing I made him do is that Comeback Special.

"The electricity you see on the screen – I tell you what, when we were at Cannes, that bit comes up, and there was just a wave of spontaneous applause.

Butler's turn as the king of rock 'n' roll earned the young star high praise from critics, his first best actor Oscar nomination.