Priscilla Presley reveals film role Elvis ‘regretted’ not taking after Colonel Tom Parker talked him out of it

Elvis Presley once passed on the chance to share the screen with Barbra Streisand in a career-defining moment that never was.

According to his ex-wife Priscilla Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll turned down the lead role opposite Streisand in the 1976 remake of A Star Is Born.

‘Barbra had offered him the part,’ Priscilla, 79, revealed to People. ‘Colonel [Tom Parker] talked him out of that, saying, “Oh, it’s not going to be good. She’s going to be in charge, not you. Her movie, not yours.”‘

Priscilla added, ‘Elvis regretted that because he felt he could have played that part.’

Elvis, whose career was tightly controlled by Parker from 1955 to 1977, often struggled with the constraints of his manager’s focus on commercial success over artistic fulfillment.

‘He wanted to be in great movies, not the stupid movies that he did like Girls! Girls! Girls! That wasn’t Elvis,’ Priscilla said, reflecting on his desire for more meaningful roles.

‘Colonel did not get him really at all,’ she explained. ‘That was hard for both Jerry and I, but you couldn’t say anything to Colonel. You just had to keep quiet.’  

Streisand’s A Star Is Born premiered in 1976, with Kris Kristofferson stepping into the role originally meant for Elvis Presley, marking the third adaptation of the timeless story of love and fame. 

While the film received mixed reviews from critics, Streisand’s performance and her iconic song Evergreen garnered widespread acclaim. 

The movie won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song, with Streisand herself also taking home a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. 

Between 1956 and 1969, Elvis Presley graced the silver screen in thirty-one films, with varying degrees of success in both music and acting.

In the early years of his career, Elvis aspired to be seen as a serious actor, aiming to reach the same heights of acclaim as Marlon Brando or James Dean.

However, over time, the quality of his films deteriorated, and by the time he starred in the forgettable rom-com Change of Habit in 1969, Elvis had all but given up on acting. 

Elvis revived his career with a powerhouse performance in the 1968 Comeback Special that aired on NBC, re-establishing himself as a force in music and entertainment.

The special, which aired on December 3, 1968, became NBC’s highest-rated show of the year, marking a turning point in Elvis’s career.

From that moment, Elvis committed to live performances, thrilling audiences with hundreds of concerts until his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 42.

Meanwhile, Priscilla, along with her granddaughter Riley Keough, paid tribute to Lisa Marie Presley, Priscilla’s daughter and Riley’s mother, at Graceland in October. 

In honor of Lisa Marie’s posthumously released memoir, From Here to The Great Unknown, Riley, 35, who co-wrote the book, has been touring the country, engaging with readers through a series of discussions. 

Lisa Marie Presley tragically passed away on January 12, 2023, at the age of 54, following a cardiac arrest.