Ben Napier Says Elvis Presley ‘Is a Family Member’

For Ben and Erin Napier, loving Elvis Presley just runs in the family. The HGTV stars grew up listening to the late singer’s music, revealing their parents were huge fans of the King. As Ben wrote on Instagram, they see the “Hound Dog” singer as “more than a performer, he is a family member,”

“On Sunday mornings, my daddy, a preacher, pregamed by playing Elvis gospel music loudly throughout our house,” Ben wrote on June 16, 2022. “When he or any of us sang in church, we tried to sound like Elvis. My older brother and I tried to rock long sideburns in high school because of the king!”

Erin shared her memories of Presley, writing on Instagram, “I grew up in a house where a photo of Elvis is on my parents’ fridge beside the ultrasound souvenirs of their grandkids. The Graceland Christmas village is the only inheritance I want someday.”

Given their love for Presley, of course, the “Home Town” hosts watched the new biopic of his life, “Elvis.” The couple attended an early screening with Erin’s mother, aunts and some other family and friends.

The Couple Sang the Praises of Autin Butler & Tom Hanks in ‘Elvis’

The Napiers sang the praises of the director Baz Luhrmann and the cast, which includes Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. They both wrote that Butler “became” Presley.

“Austin Butler just absolutely destroyed us,” Erin explained in a video. “I sat beside my mother and my aunts, who are the greatest Elvis fans of all time. Who taught me all they know about Elvis and they sobbed watching this. It was the closest we’ll ever come to watching Elvis in real life, that’s what it feels like.”

Ben added in the caption, “Tom Hanks played a diabolical genius so well. Everyone in the movie nailed their role. I cried a couple of times and at others felt as if I was watching real footage from live concerts.”

Ben & Erin Interviewed Butler About Portraying Presley

After watching the film, Ben and Erin interviewed Butler. Erin shared some snippets of their conversation on Instagram, writing, “We covered so much that didn’t fit into this 1 minute clip, but here is a tiny bit of our chat.”

Butler video chatted with the couple from Presley’s famous home, telling them, “It’s magical being out here in Graceland right now.”

“We grew up with parents who got to see him perform live, we never did,” Erin explained. “But seeing you perform as him is the closest I feel like we’ll come to having that experience and that excitement. You really nailed it.”

The “Home Town: Ben’s Workshop” star also complimented Butler’s onstage swagger.

“Once I got out there, then it was this complete out-of-body experience of sort of discovering for the first time the effect that he can have on an audience,” the actor shared, who commented on the set design and large audience. “You feed off their energy, you know.”

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