It has been reported that the late Lisa Marie Presley was unhappy with the portrayal of her father Elvis Presley in the movie 'Priscilla' before her death.
According to documents obtained by Variety. Lisa Marie had emailed the director, Sofia Coppola, repeatedly about what she felt was a "shockingly vengeful and contemptuous" depiction of Elvis in the screenplay for Priscilla, which focuses on her mother Priscilla Presley.
The biopic aims to tell the story of Priscilla and Elvis and their lives together, but some parts of it, notably Elvis's courtship of his wife, were deeply criticized due to Priscilla only being 14 at the time their relationship began, while the iconic singer was 24.
"My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative," reads one of the alleged messages sent to Coppola. "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. I read this and see your shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective and I don’t understand why?
"I will 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 Marie followed up.
Both messages were sent around September 2022, roughly four hours apart.
When asked for comment on the exchange by the outlet, a representative for the director cited what was expressed to Lisa Marie in response to her September emails, saying it was all part of the vision based on the 1985 memoir titled Elvis and Me.
"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," she wrote.
However, Lisa Marie expressed that she was unsure whether her mom would be able to fully understand the modern translation of such a "controversial" courtship.
"I am worried that my mother isn’t seeing the nuance here or realizing the way in which Elvis will be perceived when this movie comes out," Lisa Marie wrote in her emails. "I feel protective over my mother who has spent her whole life elevating my father’s legacy. I am worried she doesn’t understand the intentions behind this film or the outcome it will have."
She also tried to make Sofia aware that it could affect her legacy in the industry, writing: “I would think of all people that you would understand how this would feel."
The actress was most likely alluding to Coppola’s famous family, which includes her father, Francis Ford Coppola, best known for his work on The Godfather.
"Why are you coming for my Dad and my family?", she added.
There was one final thing that Lisa Marie said which concluded her second note to the director, addressing her own children.
"I had to explain that we are going to have to endure another hit in our lives. That there is going to be a movie about her grandfather that is going to try to make him look really, really bad but it’s not true. I had to explain that her beloved grandmother is supporting it. These two little girls have been through so much in the past 7 years, enduring my divorce and horrific custody battle and then losing their brother. We’ve all been drowning," Lisa Marie wrote.
She ended the piece by slamming Sofia's alleged "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."
Priscilla was released in the United States on October 27.
