‘Did you know that?’ Austin Butler surprised to learn Elvis had a twin after taking on Baz Lurhmann film

Austin Butler said he had been surprised to learn that Elvis Presley had a twin after taking on the role of the legendary rock star for a new biopic.

The actor, 30, said he had learned “a whole bunch of things” about the King of Rock n Roll, and promised that audiences would too.

Butler stars alongside Tom Hanks in Elvis, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann.

Speaking at the London premiere about filming he told the PA news agency: “It was the time of my life, it really was, it was such a privilege.

“I knew his work before and I had a very peripheral understanding of his life so I learned a whole bunch of things about him.

“I didn’t know he was a twin when I first started, did you know that?”

Elvis’s twin brother Jesse died at birth in 1935.

Of the movie, Butler added: “You get to see a lot of things.”

Butler described Luhrmann as “one of the most incredible people on this planet,” who had “such a singular vision” for the film.

“We had an absolute ball getting to create this together,” he said.

Elvis is scheduled for nationwide release by Warner Bros Pictures on June 24. Read The Independent’s four-star review.