Priscilla Presley is sharing some insight into the creative slump her ex-husband Elvis Presley dealt with after his return from the army in the 1960s.
The King of Rock and Roll returned after years away from the United States to a waiting fanbase and with a new future wife in Priscilla, but was sucked into a movie career that didn't prove to be as fulfilling as he'd been led to believe.
He had been ushered into years of starring in a variety of musical romantic-comedies that didn't push him the way he'd hoped, thanks to a contract from Colonel Tom Parker, with their complicated relationship explored in the new Netflix documentary Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley.
Priscilla, now 79, spoke with People recently about some of the decisions that her ex-husband would eventually come to regret with his movie career, including one involving Barbra Streisand.
It's known that Elvis was considered for the lead role opposite Barbra in the 1976 remake of A Star is Born by the screen legend and her then-partner and co-producer Jon Peters.
However, while the "Hound Dog" singer was keen about taking the part, Colonel Parker turned it down, and Priscilla told the publication that it was a decision that stayed with Elvis.
© Getty Images"Barbra had offered him the part," she recalled. "Colonel talked him out of that saying, 'Oh, it's not going to be good. She's going to be in charge, not you. Her movie, not yours.' Elvis regretted that because he felt he could have played that part."
Per reports at the time, and the documentary, Colonel Parker wanted top billing for Elvis and a much larger asking price, causing him to decline. Neil Diamond was also considered for the role but had to turn it down due to touring commitments, and the part thus went to Kris Kristofferson.
"One day he was reading a script, and he threw it across the room and said, 'I'm not doing this,'" Elvis' friend Jerry Schilling recalls in the Netflix special. "The Colonel loved Elvis and vice versa, but Elvis outgrew the Colonel."
© Getty ImagesPriscilla added that the rocker "wanted to be in great movies, not the stupid movies that he did like Girls! Girls! Girls!. That wasn't Elvis."
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"Colonel did not get him really at all," she added. "That was hard for both Jerry and I, but you couldn't say anything to Colonel. You just had to keep quiet."
© Getty ImagesThe Netflix special counts down to Elvis' triumphant comeback with the '68 Comeback Special on NBC, which not only revived his career, but introduced him to a slew of new fans while revamping his image as a more serious musician and leading to further touring and concert commitments.
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Meanwhile, 1976's A Star is Born proved to be a massive smash (released just nine months before Elvis' untimely passing in August 1977), becoming the year's second highest grossing movie.
© NBCIt is also remembered fondly for the chemistry between Barbra and Kris while netting an Oscar for Best Original Song. It was the third remake of the film, after the 1937 version with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, and the 1954 version with Judy Garland and James Mason. It was remade once more in 2018 with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
