While the internet’s praise for Austin Butler is plentiful, the actor has also been tirelessly mocked for his Elvis Presley accent—which, long after he stopped filming for Elvis, has persisted.

The actor has said before that he practiced method acting for three years to prepare for his intense role as the King of Rock and Roll in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic. Butler watched and read everything he could about Presley; learned to sing, play the guitar, dance, and talk like the music legend; and has even continued to mimic the late icon’s street style.

london, england may 31 austin butler attends the elvis uk screening at bfi southbank on may 31, 2022 in london, england photo by lia tobygetty images
Lia Toby//Getty Images

Butler won a BAFTA and a Golden Globe for his performance as Presley, and was nominated for an Oscar. But in a new interview, he admits he may have taken it too far with the method acting, and says he’s tried his best to snap out of it.

During an appearance Wednesday on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Butler talked about what it was like transitioning from his Elvis role to his new project, Masters of the Air.

“I had a dialect coach just to help me not sound like Elvis,” Butler told Colbert. “I was just trying to remember who I was. I was trying to remember what I liked to do. All I thought about for three years was Elvis.”

When he was beginning to prepare for Masters of the Air, Butler encountered COVID-19 regulations while traveling, and took advantage of being quarantined to study for his role. “And then I flew to London, and at that time it was Covid, so I was quarantined for 10 days,” he said. “I thought, All right, just pour all this energy into learning about World War II.”

The Apple TV+ action-drama series—which follows a group of brave airmen during World War II—will be available to stream starting tomorrow, January 26.