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Heavy is the head that wears the crown and brave is the man who plays the king.
In Baz Luhrman’s new carnival inspired biopic “Elvis,” actor Austin Butler dons the jumpsuit and gyrates to the gospel according to the king of rock and roll himself, ladies and gentlemen, Elvis Presley.
While Butler, who beat out Harry Styles for the role, has garnered nearly universal praise for his portrayal, most notably from Presley’s widow Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie, reviews of “Elvis” as a whole have been a mixed bag.
One critic savagely denounced the film as,“This maddening jukebox musical only sees Presley as a means to an end — as a hip-shaking puppet on a string.”
Ouch, bro.
Haters and heretics be damned, the movie received a 12-minute standing ovation at Cannes. I’ll still be watching as nothing can separate me from a greaser aesthetic and the promise of possible, spectacular, cinematic failure. In the mean time, the astrological energy between the birth charts of Butler and Presley are worth a deep dive. What star stuff are the two made of and was one made to play the other? Read on to learn more.
Sun signs and archetypes; the GOAT and the lion
Born January January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, MS Elvis has his sun, Venus and Mercury in enterprising Capricorn and his moon in the mutable, escapist sign of Pisces. Capricorn is symbolized by the sea goat, and Elvis is not only a goat by sign but arguably the GOAT by design, at least as far as pompadours, pelvic mastery and capitalizing on stolen songbooks go.
A Cardinal earth sign, the modality of Capricorn is Pyrrhic, a steady ascent towards victory with heavy losses. Typically, Capricorn’s endure difficult childhoods and rise through punishing standards to meet their own high standards of success. We see this in Presley whose meteoric rise to fame was coupled with personal tragedy, substance abuse issues, the dissolution of his marriage and an untimely death at the age of 42.
Capricorns value hard work and high end valuables so it tracks that Elvis’s slogan was “taking care of business” and his trappings included a fleet of cars, a Memphis mansion and enough rhinestone jumpsuits to smother a family of small mammals.
The influence of Capricorn also helps to explain Presley’s unlikely friendship and iconic hand shake with then President and fellow sea goat Richard Nixon. Caps bring daddy vibes, they seek it and curate it and it gives them a curious relationship to authority and makes them notorious suckers for a man in uniform or a maniac in office.
The arch of a Capricorn’s solar mission is to create something of lasting value and Presley, with his enduring image and unfathomable influence, did just that. As Gabriella Paiella surmises, “There is perhaps no other person in human history who has been imitated and idolized as much as Elvis.” How does an actor pull off a realistic portrayal of a man that has become more of a cultural commodity than a beating, bleeding heart?
By being Austin Butler folks, and, naturally, a Leo. Born August 17, 1991, Austin Butler is a regal Leo sun with a sign of the seeker Sagittarius moon. A fixed fire sign, Leo is ruled by the sun and those that fall under it draw the spotlight to them with ease and hold a preternatural sense of oration, power and worthiness. The sun doth shine and a Leo doth glow, and Austin is no exception. As a recent GQ profile notes, “If you are within Austin Butler’s vicinity, there is, statistically speaking, a 98 percent chance he is smiling right at you.”
That’s what it feels like to be in solar range of a Leo, they make you feel warm and better looking than you actually are. These folk are happy to lend you a spare ray of affection, a reckless wink or the kind of smile they hope you’ll write a sonnet about. Leo energy is regal but it aspires to be deified. Xerxes from the movie “300”? A Leo beyond reproach.
In a quaint American tale of discovery, Butler was scouted at the county fair at the tender age of thirteen and spent the proceeding years beckoning hearts to throb, making dutiful rounds at Disney and Nickelodeon, eventually getting “Hannah Montana” to swoon and Vanessa Hudgens to fall in love.
In true lion form Butler landed the role of Elvis Presley by sending director Baz Luhrmann an unsolicited video of himself singing “Unchained Melody,” in his bathrobe, footage we can only hope becomes available to we plebeians. Hungry for praise and for purpose, Leos revel in performance, Leo rules the heart and natives tend to lead with it. As Butler admits, “I’ve never loved somebody I’ve never met more than Elvis.” Aw shucks.
Mutable moon signs
Presley had his moon in Pisces, the lunar mark of those that have spent past lives in subjugation or isolation, addicted to substances or wholly devoted to worshiping a higher power, experiences that fail to prepare them for the cruel, acute realities of this earthly plane. Presley, who was deeply spiritual and an abuser of narcotics, proves the prophecy of his moon sign.
Butler has his moon in good times, glad rags sign of Sagittarius. This is the moon of the seeker and the searcher, the sort that has spent many a lifetime and had a very good time, galavanting and learning, the strange has been sought and the lesson that life goes on and gets better is the guiding philosophy and imbues natives with an effervescence and can-do optimism. Even if this movie fails and Kaia Gerber breaks up with him, Butler will not only be fine, he may end up better than ever. That’s the spirit of a Sag moon.
Mars signs: momma’s boys and method actors
In astrology, Mars represents our will and drive. Presley had his Mars in Libra. Mars is a bit incapacitated in Libra, not able to express itself at its highest or finest. Libra is the sign of scale and partnership and those with this placement need activation from an outside force or another person. In this way we can view the death of Presley’s twin brother Jesse during childbirth as the initial force that spurred him into the spotlight. An unexpected only child, he became the sole source of pride and sole recipient of his mother’s intense love.
In fact the only reason Presley ever stepped foot in a studio in the first place was to record a song for his momma. Later, the theme of an outside force propelling a Mars in Libra to action or returned in the form of Presley’s corpulent and corrupt Svengali manager Col. Tom Parker, played in extreme fat suited, curiously accented glory by Tom Hanks in the biopic.
By contrast, Austin has his Mars in strategic, score keeping Virgo. Virgo is about purification and perfection and those with this placement will go to great lengths to succeed and to excel. As director Baz Luhrmann recounts, “Denzel Washington just said, in the most incredibly emotional and direct way, ‘Look, I’ve just been onstage with this young actor. I’m telling you, his work ethic is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen anyone who devotes every single second of their lives to perfecting a role.’” This is high praise coming from Washington, a Capricorn notoriously committed to his craft.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
We see the art of rabid research and the strategic grind at work in Butler’s preparation for and portrayal of Presley. Going borderline method to play the king, Butler admits to putting his life on hold for two years in order to ready himself for his role in the film. When production was postponed in 2020 due to the COVID 19 pandemic, Butler quarantined in Australia and dug deep, applying the rabid research tactics and mercurial curiosity of Virgo to study Presley’s entire discography, film cannon, interviews and image archive.
The evidence of Butler’s dedication is found in the critical celebration of his performance as well as in the fabled way his body went into viral shock the day after filming ended. Was his mortal coil revolting or mourning, who could say? Bu anything to get it right, all in at all costs, appendicitis for the sake of authenticity is the modality of Mars in Virgo.
Uranus Square Pluto: high drama
Presley’s birth chart contains some challenging, and telling aspects including Uranus square Pluto. When the planet of radical change is square dancing with the planet of death and transformation it indicates that natives will lead lives full of high drama and sudden upheaval. Having to constantly adjust sails to maintain against the winds of change makes for an adaptable person that longs for security and a solid foundation.
We see this expressed in Elvis who grew up impoverished, made and spent a fortune and maintained a career that endured but did not always soar. With this kind of emotional unrest and constant gear shifting who could blame our crowned king for his indulgences? Among the more dramatic turns in Presely’s life, aside from the death of his twin, was the loss of his mother at age 23. Curiously or fatedly, Butler lost his mother at the same age.
Sun conjunct Jupiter: a very lucky lion
Butler has the rolicking good fortune of being born with his sun conjunct Jupiter, the planet of expansion, abundance and blessings. When your solar, full roar Leo self is linked with the planet known as the great benefic, you’ve got luck on your side and personality in spades. This kid was born for stardom and can naturally command a stage and the adulation of the masses.
Regal and confident, those with this placement move through the world with an uncanny ease. Sometimes, but not always, their skin is flecked with gold, wildflowers bow at their feet and other people buy their drinks. Because Jupiter is about expansion and not limitation, there is the potential for natives like Butler to go overboard or towards excess, cough, method acting, cough. Moderation is the name of the game here.
Fortunately for Butler, the tempering influence of Virgo in his chart (he also has Mercury and Venus in the mutable earth sign) ensures his ego and excesses will stay in check so the finer qualities of this conjunction can shine through him and for him.
They say it’s good to be the king but Butler’s stars suggest it may be even better to play one in the movies.
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.
