An Exclusive Elvis Clip Brought Characteristic Flash (And Pelvis Swinging) To The Movie & TV Awards

Elvis Presley’s thrusting pelvis really broke a lot of people’s brains in the 1950s. As the history goes, such rampant sexuality felt new and dangerous at the time — a facet largely on display in the exclusive clip from director Baz Luhrmann’s new Elvis biopic shown at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday night (June 5).

Elvis, a film that feels like it should have an exclamation point at the end of it given Luhrman’s penchant for the operatic and melodramatic, follows The King from his early rise, and in the clip shown during the show, the pelvis-thrusting was really on full display, as moved to perfection by title star Austin Butler.

“There’s a lot of people saying a lot of things,” Butler-as-Presley says into a microphone in a crowded room to open the clip, “but in the end, you gotta listen to yourself.” Then, the thrusting commences as he and his band rip into “(If You’re Looking For) Trouble.” A lot of old wrinkly men become very scandalized and appear to lose their minds. (Bonus: One of those old men is Tom Hanks in prosthetics.)

But as you might imagine, all the ladies love it!

In the clip, Butler has embodied The King from appearance to voice to pure attitude, something noted by Presley’s granddaughter, actress and Zola star Riley Keough, who introduced the clip and called Butler’s portrayal “mesmerizing.”

“In 1954, a young man from Mississippi walked into Sun Records and change music forever. That man was my grandfather,” she said. “And though I never got the chance to meet him, I grew up in a world that had been profoundly shaped by his existence.”

That musical world continues now, and to commemorate it, naturally, Diplo and Swae Lee were in the house to debut their collaboration “Tupelo Shuffle,” which appears on the film’s soundtrack. It features looped vocals from Butler as Elvis, and the performance had equal parts Vegas flash and festival charisma. A pink-suited Swae sang in front of a large marquee on some light-up steps flanked by a squad of dancers. Diplo, complete with white hair, led the charge on top of the DJ riser.

Elvis is set to hit theaters June 24.

The 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards are airing live from the Barker Hangar in L.A. right now on MTV, with the Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED to follow. Find all the winners here.