When asked if she watched the late singer's biopic 'Elvis' by Baz Luhrmann, Ann-Margret said, "I have not, no. I know the original,"
Ann-Margret had a strong affection for rock legend Elvis Presley and remained friends with him until his death. The two even had an affair while Elvis was dating Priscilla Presley. When Priscilla found out about the two Viva Las Vegas costars she “picked up a flower vase and threw it across the room,” according to her 1985 biography, Elvis and Me, reports The Hollywood Reporter.
Ann-Margret and Elvis on the set of
— William Cox (@coxw35633) May 30, 2023
“Viva Las Vegas", 1964 pic.twitter.com/Iq1Adnuox4
The duo reportedly dated prior to her marriage to Roger Smith and remained friends until Elvis’ passing. “I decided not to,” she said of singing the songs Elvis made famous according to Closer Weekly. “Everyone knows how I felt about him and the friendship that we had all these years. It was very, very private.” Ann-Margret also revealed that Elvis Presley had “a great sense of humor.” The 82-year-old actress recalled to Page Six that “he was very funny.” She added, "We had a lot of laughs. Lots of laughter.”
Ann-Margret was one of the few female costars of Elvis Presley who received top billing for one of his films with VIVA LAS VEGAS ('64).
— TCM (@tcm) May 23, 2023
Given her star power following BYE BYE BIRDIE ('63), some theaters even billed her above Presley on the marquee. pic.twitter.com/K88nFzMiK2
The Bye Bye Birdie actress even remembers how wonderful the 'King of Rock and Roll' smelled as well. "I don’t know what he had on, but he always smelled great. He might not have had anything on, but he just always smelled fabulous!" She also recalled what a nice person he was and she just couldn't get over how playful and humorous he was. "Oh, believe me, you would really have liked him. He was extremely funny. He would do his asides and I’d be breaking up. And he loved to tease me and I’d tease him right back. Sometimes I punched him. He didn’t punch me back. Because if he would’ve, I would’ve really punched him hard," she teased.
When asked if she watched the late singer's biopic Elvis by Baz Luhrmann she said she did not. "I have not, no. I know the original," she replied. When the reporter said, "You don’t need a biopic. You lived it!" she simply said, "Indeed." The actress was married to Roger Smith in 1967 and the two were together for 50 years until his death in 2017. She said still misses him “every single day,” but she’s largely content. “I’m in my home that we bought back in 1968,” she says of the estate that once belonged to actress Hedy Lamarr and, later, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. “The sun is shining and I’m looking out over the pool,” she shared. “I’m actually very happy.”
References:
https://www.closerweekly.com/posts/ann-margret-elvis-presley-very-private-friendship/
https://pagesix.com/2021/07/01/ann-margret-says-she-and-elvis-presley-would-tease-each-other/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images (L) Photo by Amy Sussman (R) Photo by Liaison
