'Priscilla' Star Cailee Spaeny on Transforming into Priscilla Presley | The View

♪ >> Whoopi: WELCOME BACK. CAILEE SPAENY IS GETTING RAVE REVIEWS FOR HER PERFORMANCE IN THE NEW BIOPIC “PRISCILLA” AS A TEENAGE GIRL FIGHTING TO MAKE SURE HER OWN MILESTONES AREN’T LOST IN THE SPOTLIGHT OF THE DATING SHE’S HAVING WITH THE KING OF ROCK AND ROLL, ELVIS PRESLEY. TAKE A LOOK. >> THAT’S FOR ME? >> YES, MA’AM. WHAT DO YOU THINK? DO YOU LOVE IT? >> I LOVE IT. I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU DID THIS. >> TIME TO GO. PRISCILLA’S GRADUATING. >> CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING? I WAS WONDERING IF MAYBE YOU COULD WAIT OUTSIDE THE CEREMONY.

I’M AFRAID YOU BEING THERE MIGHT TAKE AWAY THE ATTENTION FROM THE GRADUATES. >> WELL, YEAH, I GUESS I HADN’T THOUGHT ABOUT IT LIKE THAT. I WON’T COME IN. I’LL WAIT FOR YOU OUTSIDE IN THE CAR. THAT WAY IT WILL BE LIKE I’M THERE. >> THANK YOU. >> Whoopi: PLEASE WELCOME CAILEE SPAENY. ♪ >> HI. THANK YOU. >> Whoopi: FIRST OF ALL, WELCOME TO “THE VIEW.” >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> Whoopi: YOUR PERFORMANCE IS TERRIFIC. >> OH, VERY NICE. THANK YOU. >> Whoopi: WE HAD SOFIA COPPOLA ON, THE DIRECTOR OF THE FILM, THE OTHER DAY.

I TOLD HER HOW MUCH I ENJOYED PRISCILLA PRESLEY’S BOOK WHICH — >> YOU READ IT? >> Whoopi: I LISTENED TO IT. IT’S THE SOURCE MATERIAL FOR

THE FILM. DID YOU SPEND ANY TIME WITH PRISCILLA? >> YEAH. SHE WAS GRACIOUS ENOUGH TO SIT DOWN WITH ME. WE MET A COUPLE TIMES AND HAD NUMEROUS PHONE CALLS BEFORE I STARTED THE PROJECT. YOU KNOW, GROWING UP AN ELVIS FAN AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS BORN IN TENNESSEE AND RAISED IN SOUTHERN MISSOURI. SO I HAD THIS IMAGE OF THEM IN MY HEAD GROWING UP. TO MEET HER IN PERSON AND

TO — >> Whoopi: TO HEAR THE STORIES. >> YEAH, HER EYES WOULD LIGHT UP LIKE SHE WAS RIGHT THERE IN THOSE MOMENTS. JUST TO HEAR THE INSIDE JOKES AND THOSE MEMORIES — I REMEMBER SHE WAS TELLING ME HOW THEY USED TO RENT OUT THE MOVIE THEATER IN MEMPHIS AND THEY WOULD GO IN THERE AND HE WOULD HAND PICK HIS FAVORITE MOVIES. HE LOVED PETER CELLARS MOVIES AND THEY WOULD BE THERE FROM 3:00 A.M. ON. JUST THESE NUGGETS OF GOLD THAT HELPED ME PUT THIS MASSIVE PUZZLE TOGETHER PLAYING THIS ROLE. >> Alyssa: YOU’RE GETTING INCREDIBLE BUZZ

FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE. SO DESERVED. YOU CAPTURED HER. I SAW HER THROUGH YOUR EYES. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MOVIE. YOU WERE AWARDED THE VOLPI CUP FOR BEST ACTRESS AT THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL. JACOB ELORDI WAS FANTASTIC AS WELL CAPTURING ELVIS. I’M A HUGE ELVIS FAN AS WELL. DID YOU KNOW MUCH OF HIS BACKSTORY? I DIDN’T REALIZE HOW MUCH I DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE EARLY STAGE OF PRISCILLA AND EMAIL VCR’ RELATIONSHIP? >> THAT WAS INTERESTING FOR ME, NOT KNOWING HER SIDE OF THE STORY. TO GET TO DIVE INTO HER POINT OF VIEW ESPECIALLY WITH A DIRECTOR LIKE

SOPHIA COPPOLA AND THE WAY SHE TELLS FEMALE STORIES, IT WAS BONKERS. >> Sunny: SHE’S FANTASTIC. >> THE WAY SHE TELL IT IS STORY IS BEAUTIFUL. >> Sunny: I’LL GO SHALLOW. I LOVED THE FILM, BUT I LOVED THE CLOTHING, THE HAIRSTYLES. I THINK YOU REALLY EMBODIED HER WHEN YOU HAD JUST THE CLOTHING ON. WHAT ABOUT THOSE HAIRSTYLES THOUGH? THEY WERE HIGH. >> OH, YEAH. I REALLY HAD TO WATCH WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR. WE HAD SUCH AN AMAZING HAIR, MAKE-UP AND COSTUME DEPARTMENT. THEY DID A FANTASTIC JOB AND REALLY WERE LIKE THE ANCHOR FOR ME

GETTING INTO CHARACTER, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE WE FILMED THIS IN 30 DAYS. WE FILMED IT OUT OF ORDER. IT WAS THE KEY PIECE IN MAKING SURE I KNEW WHERE I WAS. I PLAYED HER FROM A RANGE OF 14 TO 28. >> Sunny: YES. >> I NEEDED SOMETHING TO HOLD ON TO AND IT WAS DEPENDENT ON WHAT IS ON MY HEAD THAT DAY. >> Sunny: WHAT ABOUT THE CLOTHES? >> Alyssa: I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO TIP OVER. >> IT’S LIKE ANOTHER HEAD. >> Sara: THAT’S ONE PART OF THE STORY I ABSOLUTELY HAD NO IDEA ABOUT. HOW MUCH

HE CREATED PRISCILLA, THE LOOK. IT REALLY DIDN’T MATTER ALWAYS WHAT SHE THOUGHT. IT WAS THIS IS WHAT I WANT. >> SHE SAID SHE DIDN’T EVEN KNOW WHAT HER OWN TASTE WAS. >> Sara: HE MET HER SO YOUNG. WE GREW UP IN BIG FAMILIES. YOURS MUCH BIGGER THAN MINE. YOU’RE ONE OF NINE CHILDREN. I’M ONE OF FOUR. THAT LOOKS REALLY STINGY. YOU’RE FROM MISSOURI. I’M FROM IOWA. THE SAME VIBE. YOU KNEW FROM A YOUNG AGE YOU WANTED TO ACT AND CONVINCED YOUR FAMILY YOU SHOULD MOVE TO L.A. HOW DID THAT GO? >> Sunny: HOW DID YOU

CONVINCE TEN PEOPLE? >> Sara: 11 WITH TWO PARENTS. >> IT’S TRUE. I — SO I DID EVERYTHING I COULD TO GET — ANYTHING IN PERFORMING OR ENTERTAINMENT. I WAS SINGING JINGLES FOR LOCAL COMMERCIALS. I WORKED AT A THEME PARK IN BRANSON, MISSOURI. >> Sara: I KNOW BRANSON. >> Whoopi: EVEN I DO. >> I DID MUSICAL THEATER BACK HOME AND PUT A REEL TOGETHER AND PITCHED IT TO MY PARENTS. I WAS PERFORMING AT SOME FALL FESTIVAL WITH MY KIDS COVER BAND. >> Sara: YOU WERE HOW OLD? >> 14. >> Whoopi: YOU KNEW. >> IT’S THE SAME

AGE PRISCILLA WAS WHEN SHE MET ELVIS. I DIDN’T THINK OF THE PARALLELS UNTIL AFTER. I CAME UP WITH A PITCH AND WE PACKED THE MINI VAN AND DROVE CROSS COUNTRY. >> Sara: YOU’RE ONE OF THE YOUNGEST OF THE NINE. I IMAGINE THOSE SIBLINGS WONDERING WHY SHE DECIDES. >> Ana: EVEN AT A YOUNG AGE YOU WERE A FAN OF SOFIA COPPOLA’S FILMS. WHAT IS IT ABOUT HER MOVIES THAT DRAWS YOU IN, THAT TALKS TO YOU? >> I ALWAYS FOUND SHE NEVER UNDERESTIMATES THE YOUNG WOMEN IN HER FILMS AND SHE SORT OF LETS THEM BE REAL HUMAN

BEINGS WITH DARK SIDES AND WANTS AND PASSIONS AND — YEAH, THEY SORT OF CRACKED ME OPEN. I WATCHED ALL HER WORK AND IT’S THE FIRST TIME I ASKED MYSELF, WHO’S BE HAND THE CAMERA? THEN TO FIND OUT IT’S THIS SWEET, SOFT SPOKEN WOMAN. OH, THAT’S US. YEAH, I — I DON’T KNOW. IT ALSO — I SAW THE WAY THAT SHE WENT ABOUT MAKING FILMS SO INTERESTING. YOU KNOW, I THINK — IN THIS FILM TOO SHE SAYS SO MUCH IN THE SILENT MOMENTS THAT I THINK ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. >> Whoopi: SHE’S DELICIOUS AS A DIRECTOR. >>

SHE REALLY IS. YOU REALLY FEEL IMMERSED IN HER WORLD SHE CREATES. EVERYTHING IS SO TANGIBLE. >> Sunny: SO THOUGHTFUL. >> SHE IS. >> Ana: DID YOU HAVE ANY PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA SANDWICHES? >> NO. >> Whoopi: THAT WAS LATER IN HIS LIFE. OUR THANKS TO CAILEE SPAENY. YOU’RE SO FUNNY. “PRISCILLA” IS IN THEATERS TODAY. EVEN IF YOU DON’T KNOW YOU’RE AN EL