From a NY newspaper: The King in closeup Presley biopic probes his relationships with Colonel Parker and Ann-Margret BY HENRY CABOT BECK Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Presley, c. 1957, and with Rose McGowan as Ann-Margret (below), in 'Elvis.' Two years from now, millions of fans of Elvis Presley will mark the 30th anniversary of his death. But Elvis has never really gone away. While his popularity may have leveled off some, he still haunts the airwaves and sells millions of records worldwide. No rock or film star since has duplicated the King's raw animal magnetism. Now he's the subject of a two-part CBS biopic, "Elvis," which airs next Sunday at 9 p.m. and May 11 at 8 p.m. It will be followed by the documentary "Elvis by the Presleys," on May 13 at 8 p.m, also on CBS (see story opposite). "When I started researching the project I was amazed by how many young people owned his records and movies," says "Elvis" director James Sadwith. "Many of the actors we saw for the part were born after Elvis died, but they all knew him. I'm too close to be objective, but I think Elvis may be hip for a new generation." Jonathan Rhys Meyers, the Irish actor who plays Presley in the TV movie, is quick to announce that he was born 20 days before Presley died in August 1977. Nevertheless, he had no trouble identifying with Presley when it came time to assume the role. "I looked for the things that I had most in common with him and latched onto them," says Rhys Meyers. "I'm a poor boy from Cork, he was a poor boy from Tupelo, Miss. He was a daydreamer, and I'm a daydreamer. Neither of us got on well at school, we weren't particularly liked by the other students, and he bought his momma a house with his first big paycheck, and so did I. And we changed people's opinions of what we were from when we were kids to what we are as adults. "No," Rhys Meyers adds in his best hillbilly cat accent, "I didn't buy my momma a pink Cadillac, but I did buy my momma a Fiat Uno. I don't think a pink '55 Cadillac would go down well in County Cork somehow. I drove one a bit in the film and it was like driving a yacht. They're gorgeous to look at but I wouldn't want to own one." Although Presley is an international icon, Rhys Meyers believes he has a different meaning in the U.S. than in Europe. "In America, Elvis is a real person," he says. "He's one of you who came out of this shotgun shack and stormed the world. But Elvis is a mystery and a phenomenon to everyone in Europe because he never played there, never toured the rest of the world. In America, he's very tangible while in Europe he wasn't tangible at all." The show also features "Charmed" star Rose McGowan as Ann-Margret, who is said to have had a torrid romance with Presley during the making of the movie "Viva Las Vegas." Randy Quaid plays Colonel Tom Parker, who micro-managed Elvis throughout their long association. Quaid is the first actor to portray Parker with a mild Dutch accent. It was little known during his showbiz career that he had been born in the Netherlands. "The Colonel left Europe when he was 18, under dubious circumstances. He was implicated in the murder of a woman," Quaid says. "Once he came to America, he skated through life, never letting anyone ever see him too clearly." "Once [Elvis' mother] Gladys died, there was no one who could come between Elvis and Colonel Parker," says Alanna Nash, author of "The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley." "Parker was a secret psychopath who needed to get the better of every human being, while Elvis was an artist who wanted to please and be creative, and who didn't want to waste his time in confrontations." LIKE A MARRIAGE "In a sense," she adds, "their story is a love story between two men, one incapable of love and the other who loves too eagerly, which left a wide gulf for Parker to exploit." "But in his relationship with Elvis, he's an enigma that needs to be seen from both sides," says Quaid. "Some might say that Elvis made a deal with the Devil, but you can also say that Elvis wouldn't have been Elvis without him. Elvis was born with a million dollars worth of talent, but after he met the Colonel, Elvis had a million dollars." "It was something like a marriage," says Rhys Meyers. "In fact, I was doing this one scene with Quaid and it felt for a minute like we were Ozzie and Harriet. "But as an actor, I just wish Elvis had been put with a director like Elia Kazan instead of doing films like 'Blue Hawaii' and 'G.I. Blues.' The reason he did those films was because the Colonel saw that the movies also produced a soundtrack, so the money that came off those films was phenomenal. Elvis was offered 'West Side Story' but he did 'Blue Hawaii,' instead." Quaid believes it would have benefited Elvis "if he could have studied with somebody like Lee Strasberg, who helped Marilyn Monroe with her career. I'm sure if Elvis had had the freedom to pursue his dream of becoming an actor, he probably would have tapped in to some of these great teachers and directors. There definitely was potential there. It's a shame he didn't get to exercise those muscles more." 10 Best Elvis Movies * "Loving You" (1957) * "Jailhouse Rock" ('57) * "King Creole" ('58) * "Flaming Star" ('60) * "Wild in the Country" ('61) * "Kid Galahad" ('62) * "Roustabout" ('64) * "Viva Las Vegas" ('64) * "Elvis - The '68 Comeback Special" (Deluxe Edition DVD) * "Elvis: That's the Way It Is" (1970/2000 — re-edit) 10 Best Elvis Portrayers * Kurt Russell in "Elvis" (1979) * Jeff Yagher in "Twilight Zone: The Once and Future King" ('86) * David Keith in "Heartbreak Hotel" ('88) * Michael St. Gerard in "Heart of Dixie" ('89), "Great Balls of Fire" ('89), and "Elvis" ('90 TV series) * Val Kilmer in "True Romance" ('93) * Huey Lewis in "Twister" ('93 stage play) * Christopher Walken in "Him" ('94 stage play) * Rick Peters in "Elvis Meets Nixon" ('97) * Harvey Keitel in "Finding Graceland" ('98) * Bruce Campbell in "Bubba Ho-Tep" (2002) Originally published on May 1, 2005 home | new | the man | lisa marie | priscilla & others | fun | clothes | photos | records | movies | concerts | gifts | web | guide | e-cards | today | facts Click here for more info on the book The Girls' Guide to Elvis Click here to check out sister book The Girls' Guide to Country Click here to check out the latest sister book The Ultimate Guide to Chick Flicks