Why Lisa Marie Presley was angry with Sofia Coppola's 'Priscilla'
Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley passed away in January 2023 due to the "sequelae of a small bowel obstruction." A few months before that, she contacted Sofia Coppola, the director of the biographical drama Priscilla, based on her parents' lives. Expressing strong reservations about her family's portrayal, she called it "shockingly vengeful" and "contemptuous." Here's more of what she said.
'My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative'
In two emails dated September 2022, now obtained by Variety, Lisa was allegedly horrified after reading the film's script. She emailed the director, "My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative. As his daughter, I don't read this and see any of my father in this character. I don't read this and see my mother's perspective of my father."
Lisa wanted to 'go against' the film publicly
Lisa's shock continued in the message, "I read this and see your shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective and I don't understand why? I'll be forced to be in a position where I will have to openly say how I feel about the film and go against you, my mother and this film publicly." Lisa also wanted Coppola to avoid the spotlight on Elvis's grandchildren.
Lisa thought Coppola was coming for her family
Lisa didn't understand Coppola's "need to attempt to take my father down on the heels of such an incredible film using the excuse that you are trying to tell my mother's story but from your very dark and jaded reality." She highlighted the possible repercussions of the film on her twin kids and asked Coppola, "Why are you coming for me and my family?"
Here's how Coppola responded
In response, Coppola wrote, "I hope that when you see the final film you will feel differently, and understand I'm taking great care in honoring your mother, while also presenting your father with sensitivity and complexity." Notably, Priscilla reportedly draws its story from Priscilla's memoir Elvis and Me and the "early draft of the script" was trimmed post-Lisa's emails when the cameras began rolling.
'Priscilla': More about the movie, who plays who
Priscilla premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2023 and enjoyed a limited release in the US on October 27, and will now expand from Friday onwards. Cailee Spaeny stars as the titular character in the film, while Elvis has been essayed by Saltburn and Euphoria fame Jacob Elordi. Raine Monroe Boland and Emily Mitchell star as Lisa. The memoir was written in 1985.
What was Lisa's relationship with her mother like?
Elvis-Priscilla wed in May 1967; Lisa was born in February 1968. Reportedly, there were frequent bumps in Lisa-Priscilla's relationship. While speaking on The Talk, Lisa once said, "My mom was really strict. Constrictive. We are now very close, but when I was younger, it was, like, difficult to have a relationship with somebody that's got you...around the neck all the time."
Priscilla's alleged dominating nature reportedly stifled Lisa
A few days post her death, a source told ET, "Lisa Marie was struggling, and it definitely put a strain on her relationship with her mother. They did not have a healthy or close relationship and it was very complicated. Lisa Marie always felt Priscilla was trying to have control over her." Priscilla, however, called Lisa the result of hers and Elvis's love.
