This Resurfaced Priscilla Presley Interview Proves She’s Always Been Open About Elvis Presley's 'Dark Side'
After two emails from Priscilla Presley‘s late daughter Lisa Marie Presley came to light of her criticizing the new movie Priscilla, which shows her mother’s perspective on her marriage to Elvis Presley, it left us wondering: has Priscilla never shared her true story before? As it turns out, however, Priscilla, who got married to Elvis back in 1967, has always been open about the “dark side” of the late King of Rock ’n’ Roll.
In a newly resurfaced interview of Priscilla with Katie Couric in 2002, she unapologetically opens up about the ups and downs of their dynamic. “At times he could be very critical,” she said, per Katie Couric Media. “He didn’t like prints on me. He didn’t like stripes. He didn’t like boldness. He said I was petite, and [those styles] were taking away from my looks,” Priscilla recalled.
As a result, Priscilla underwent a full transformation after she moved to Graceland to be with the singer. “But as controlling as he was, he was very, very charming,” Priscilla added.
As for their downfall, Priscilla didn’t shy away from talking negatively about the “Jailhouse Rock” singer either. “His career was going down again, and he was tired of the songs. He was tired of the routine. There was a point where he just kind of gave up,” she remembered.
“He couldn’t face being 40, and he resorted to stimulants. There was a dark side there, a very dark side,” she admitted. The former pair eventually called it quits after six years of marriage in 1973. “It was scary because I also had a daughter to raise, and it was a lifestyle that really wasn’t conducive to a family,” she said.
Priscilla’s side of the story, from her style transformation to their unhealthy relationship, is exactly the focus of Sofia Coppola’s new drama, Priscilla, which just hit theaters.
As a reminder, Lisa Marie shared her thoughts about the project a few months after her passing. “As his daughter, I don’t read this and see any of my father in this character,” Lisa Marie wrote in the emails obtained by Variety. “I don’t read this and see my mother’s perspective of my father. I read this and see your shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective and I don’t understand why?”
Knowing how similar the movie’s trailer and synopsis is to Priscilla’s resurfaced interview, and that she herself was an Executive Producer for the movie, it’s safe to say that Priscilla might actually be the most accurate representation of all. We’re just glad we have a chance to see it.
Before you go, click here to see inside the famous Presley family.