Elvis Presley admits ‘no amount of money’ could make him enjoy making movies in new Netflix doc

The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is back in a new Netflix documentary. ‘Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley’ tells the story of Elvis’ return to live performance in his 1968 comeback special after taking time to focus on his acting career. The documentary, which premiered on Wednesday November 13 on Netflix, features footage from the NBC special and clips of Elvis himself discussing his career leading up to the comeback.

In one candid recording, when discussing his career as a movie star, Elvis admits: “They couldn’t have paid me no amount of money in the world to make me feel any satisfaction inside.” Elvis Presley, who died in 1977 at the age of 42, was known in the 1950s as The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll until his pivot to acting in the 60s, which made him at one point the highest paid actor in America.

Despite his success as an actor, Elvis was disillusioned by his career as a movie star because of the lack of creative control and self-expression. He went from being the “original rebel” to a “family entertainer,” singing songs and taking on roles that he didn’t connect with. In one clip from the documentary trailer, he expresses that he felt that he was “obligated to do things” he “didn’t fully believe in” and that “no amount of money” could make him “feel any satisfaction inside.”