With a new movie on the way, Priscilla—written and directed by Sophia Coppola—the 78-year-old New York City-born Priscilla Presley is back in the headlines. The widow of one of the biggest names in music, Elvis Presley, Priscilla has seen her fair share of the world—and then some.
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Given her extensive life experience and proximity to “The King,” many might wonder about what Priscilla has to say surrounding her marriage, family, Elvis’ music and devoted fans, and beyond. To satisfy this curiosity, here are the top 20 quotes from Priscilla Presley.
[RELATED: New ‘Priscilla’ Trailer Shows the Dark Side of Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s Relationship]
1. “I’m not real fond of giving interviews.”
2. “You have to remember that when I met Elvis, you know, it wasn’t the fanfare that it is today or even when he was here in the states and I was in Germany growing up.”
3. “I mean, I had probably an illusion of being the wife that, you know, I wanted to create a home. I wanted to have children. I wanted him to be a husband. It was never going to be that way. It couldn’t be that way.”
4. “Inner beauty should be the most important part of improving one’s self.”
5. “No one has really heard my side of the story, the adventure we had together, the transformation that I had going from a schoolgirl to a woman overnight.”
6. “You have so much to share, you have so much to tell, you have so much you want to expose, so much that’s inside that you’ve learned from that life period. There are really very few people I can share that with.”
7. “I lived somebody else’s life. It was never about me, it was really about him on every level.”
8. “It was more that his career was going down again and he was tired of the songs. He was tired of the routine. And there was a point where he just kind of gave up. He couldn’t face being 40. And he resorted to stimulants. There’s a dark side there, a really dark side.”
9. “As a person, he was wonderful. He really was a great person. He was full of life. He had a great sense of humor. Very talented, of course, but very caring to his parents. There was a very endearing quality about Elvis.”
10. “You know, I had my mother and my father convincing me that he would be going back to Hollywood and he’d be back with the actresses and dating them and that he wasn’t serious about me at all. So I had him saying one thing to me and my parents telling me something else.”
11. “At times he could be very critical. He didn’t like prints on me. He didn’t like stripes. He didn’t like boldness. He said I was petite and that was taking away from my looks.”
12. “When Elvis was unhappy, believe me, everyone was unhappy.”
13. “Yes, the divorce was difficult. It was difficult.”
14. “I don’t want to be someone’s entertainment.”
15. “You know, Lisa, for the longest time, did not sing.”
16. “He would use amphetamines to stay awake because he would have late night maneuvers that would go way into the early morning hours and he was given pills to stay up for the long hours.”
17. “I just look at it, as it’s something that I had to do. I had this vision that really, Graceland is suited for a king and it is his castle. And people really should see it, as he loved it.”
18. “I like the creative aspect of developing a project.”
19. “There is a shyness about me, and I really need to get out more.”
20. “There’s been a big void out there, in terms of where I’ve been and what I am currently working on, I’d like to fill that void now and share my exciting plans for the future.”
Photo by Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
