The Priscilla Presley-centered film Priscilla premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Monday, Sept. 4, and the response from viewers brought Priscilla to tears. According to Variety, the film elicited a seven minute standing ovation from the audience. Presley was reportedly seen wiping tears from her eyes and sharing the emotional moment with the film's stars, Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) and Jacob Elordi (Elvis).
The film, directed by Sofia Coppola, tells the story of Elvis and Priscilla's relationship from Priscilla's own perspective. It is based on Priscilla's 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me, and the movie reportedly doesn't shy away from some of the hardships faced by the rock 'n' roll legend and his prospective wife. At a press conference prior to the movie screening, Priscilla said it wasn't easy to watch her life on screen, but she praised Spaeny's portrayal.
"It's very difficult to sit and watch a film about you, about your life, about your love," Presley said, according to Variety. "Sofia did an amazing job. She did her homework, we spoke a couple of times, and I really put everything out for her that I could."
Presley also spoke about the complicated relationship she had with Elvis, including issues that arose due to her their age gap (Presley was 14 years old when she began seeing a then 24-year-old Elvis).
"It was very difficult for my parents to understand that Elvis would be so interested in me and why," she said. "And I really do think because I was more of a listener. Elvis would pour his heart out to me in every way in Germany: his fears, his hopes, the loss of his mother — which he never, ever got over. And I was the person who really, really sat there to listen and to comfort him. That was really our connection."
"People think, 'Oh, it was sex.' No, it wasn't. I never had sex with him," she adds. "He was very kind, very soft, very loving, but he also respected the fact I was only 14 years old. We were more in line in thought, and that was our relationship."
Priscilla, produced by independent entertainment company A24, will premiere in theaters on Oct. 27.
