Before Cailee Spaeny became known for her role as Priscilla Presley in the 2023 film Priscilla, her journey included an intriguing, albeit scrapped, project with renowned director Sofia Coppola. Spaeny's first major callback came through Coppola for a version of The Little Mermaid that never saw the light of day.
In an interview with Empire, Spaeny shared, “My first-ever callback was through Sofia. It was for her adaptation of The Little Mermaid, which eventually didn't get made. I sent in this really quirky self-tape where I played a mermaid with no dialogue.” Spaeny described the audition process as being quintessentially Coppola—“very strange and avant-garde.”
Their paths crossed again in 2017 when Spaeny auditioned for Coppola’s The Beguiled, a period drama featuring a star-studded cast that included Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Colin Farrell, and Elle Fanning. Spaeny reminisced, “That didn’t work out, and I was devastated. Sofia was a director I had looked up to ever since I was a teenager, especially growing up in the Bible Belt. Her work felt so liberating and different from what was discussed around me. She really took young girls seriously, which had a profound impact on me.”
Despite the setbacks, these early interactions with Coppola eventually led Spaeny to her breakout role. It was through these experiences that she landed the role of Priscilla Presley, starring alongside Jacob Elordi as Elvis Presley in Priscilla.
The turning point came when Spaeny received a call from Coppola asking to meet her in New York. “We had coffee, and then Sofia pulled out her iPad and started showing me photos of Priscilla Presley,” Spaeny recalled. At the time, Spaeny was also working on the film Civil War, alongside Coppola's frequent collaborator, Kirsten Dunst.
Spaeny joked, “I think Kirsten was keeping an eye on me to see what she thought. I’m not sure what she told Sofia, but something must have clicked, because by the end of filming Civil War, I found out I had been cast as Priscilla.” Dunst even offered some advice on navigating a set with Coppola, especially after the intense experience of filming Civil War: “We’d just wrapped this intense war film with lots of explosions. Kirsten told me, ‘Priscilla will be the opposite. It’ll be relaxed and chill, with Sofia playing music and you just hanging out.’ And she was absolutely right!”
Reflecting on her past experiences with Coppola, Spaeny’s journey took a turn with the 2014 project that never materialized. Coppola was working on a live-action Little Mermaid with Universal and Working Title. This version was envisioned as a much darker take on the classic fairy tale, contrasting sharply with Disney’s lighter adaptation. Unfortunately, the project fell apart after a studio executive questioned its appeal to older men. Coppola shared, “I was in a boardroom and someone asked, ‘What’s going to attract the 35-year-old man to this movie?’ I didn’t know how to answer. I was completely out of my element.”
Spaeny’s story highlights a fascinating journey of perseverance and adaptability. Despite the hurdles and the projects that didn't come to fruition, her dedication and evolving relationship with Coppola paved the way for a standout role that would define her career. The way Spaeny’s path to Priscilla unfolded underscores the importance of persistence in the entertainment industry, and how even setbacks can lead to monumental opportunities.
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