Elvis Presley passed away 47 years ago, but his popularity has never been lost. On the contrary, with each new generation, more fans fall in love with his music and personality. Combined with the impact of Baz Luhrmann‘s biopic in 2022, the King of Rock has gained new life worldwide.

In Rio, the musical The King of Rock brings to life the idol and essential figures who marked his career. Among them, is Ann-Margret, the iconic actress and singer who shared the spotlight with the star in films and on stage. The Swedish-American actress and singer became a legend for her unique combination of talent, charisma, and sensuality. Still, in many documentaries and films, she has been more ‘overlooked’, while the main focus was given to Priscilla, Elvis’ wife. However, her influence and connection with the singer and actor are essential to understanding her career.

In the musical, Nathalia Serra takes on the challenge of playing Ann-Margret, bringing her unforgettable energy to the stage. In this exclusive chat with CLAUDIA, she reveals what it was like to delve into Ann’s personality and the era that defined her partnership with Elvis.

CLAUDIA: What is your favorite Elvis Presley song? And why?
Nathalia: “Trouble”. It reminds me of Elvis’ rock’n roll attitude and his boldness. It makes me reflect on how he was one of the first sex symbols for the female audience, awakening women’s imagination at a time when we were still very sexually repressed.

CLAUDIA: Ann Margret is an icon and one of Hollywood’s legends. How much did you know about her before the musical and what surprised you the most about playing her?
Nathalia: I think the first surprise was finding out more about her today and discovering that she is still very active artistically. I knew very little about her, I recognized her from the movie Lady for a Day, but then I started to identify her appearances in series like Law and Order, and obviously, I binge-watched all the movies, especially Fast & Furious, which I watched many times. I fell madly in love with her authenticity, her sensuality that was not very obvious on screen. I also watched all the documentaries about her life and her relationship with Elvis. But I think what intrigued me the most was finding out that she got married exactly one week after Elvis married Priscilla, and that the star sent her guitars with flowers on all the special dates, like birthdays and premieres.

CLAUDIA- In the biographies authorized by Elvis’ family, in documentaries and movies, their relationship has been “erased” or reduced. What was the dynamic like and how deep was their connection?
Nathalia: When Elvis met Ann Margret, he kept Priscilla living at Graceland, grooming her to become his wife. He dressed her, educated her, and kept her a virgin so that she would be the stereotype of the perfect wife in the eyes of society at the time. Meanwhile, he was involved with Ann Margret, who also became good friends with his friends, rooted for their relationship, since Ann helped Elvis stay focused on his career, living in the same world as him. The bond they created was undeniable, and what we know is that they remained very close until his death.

CLAUDIA: How did you prepare for the role?
Nathalia: I became hyper-focused and only consumed Ann Margret for a long time because she is a very complete artist with a lot of material to be explored! In addition to the various documentaries about her life with Elvis, I watched most of the films she made, and her entire discography. I made a folder with the images of her that touched me the most, and I delved deeply into the story of her life and career, which is very interesting, and full of layers! But what I really worried about being as faithful as possible was her personality, very bold and ahead of her time.

CLAUDIA: I would say that Ann Margret “was reduced” to the stigma of “sexy symbol”, but at the time that had some value. How did she break the stereotype?
Nathalia: She didn’t break the sexy stereotype, on the contrary. She knew how to use sensuality very well and to her advantage. At the time, there weren’t many options for labels to launch a woman in showbiz, and this was the label that opened the doors for her. But Ann was always much more than that, and it’s no wonder she’s still active today and is very well-known for it.

CLAUDIA: Singing and dancing, especially singing and dancing in the role of Ann Margret: was it difficult? What’s the routine like to prepare for the performances?
Nathalia: I had a lot of fun trying to find the Ann Margret in me, I was full of references, and thanks to our stunning direction, everything flowed very smoothly. Musical actors are high-performance athletes and we need to maintain technique all year long through classes and training to achieve it to do a job like this.

CLAUDIA: And for 2025? What are your plans?
Nathalia: Whenever an actor is in a cool project, without anything lined up for the sequel, this is usually a question that generates a lot of anxiety. All I hope for myself, as well as for working-class artists like me in 2025, is that we can have more stability and consistency in our work and that we are duly valued and compensated for it.

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