Ansel Elgort wasn't 'prepared enough' to play Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's biopic

Ansel Elgort fears he missed out on getting the chance to play Elvis Presley on the big screen because he wasn't prepared for the audition.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor Austin Butler eventually landed the role of the music icon in Baz Luhrmann's upcoming biopic, after beating off stiff competition from the likes of Elgort, Harry Styles, and Miles Teller.

And while Elgort was disappointed to lose out on the coveted part, the Baby Driver star revealed he was filming West Side Story at the time of his audition for Luhrmann, and now feels he wasn't quite as prepared as Butler.

"It wasn't a bad audition. I think it was great," the 25-year-old told The Huffington Post. "I was in the middle of filming West Side Story, so it was a little hard. I watched a tonne of footage and memorised some of (Presley's) interviews just to get his speech pattern down, and sang a bunch of his stuff... but I wasn't really prepared.

"With Elvis, I think it just wasn't right. Or so they thought. That's fine. Baz has a vision. But now I feel like it's no big deal. If I don't get Elvis, that means I get to go do a play sooner."

Elsewhere in the interview, Elgort revealed he's had to fight for good roles during his career - including his recent movie The Goldfinch with Nicole Kidman - and even auditioned for West Side Story director Steven Spielberg multiple times to prove he could play leading man Tony.

"Everything that is a good role, you have a fight for. Goldfinch, I had to sort of fight for. I did a lot of auditions and made sure I did a good job in those auditions. Same with West Side Story. I auditioned for months and months. I kept having to go in and prove to them that I could do it," he shared.

Luhrmann's untitled film about Presley's early life, also starring Tom Hanks as the singer's manager Colonel Tom Parker, is set to be released in 2021.