Riley Keough Talks Grandfather Elvis Presley's Legacy and Her Own Musical Journey in 'Daisy Jones' (Exclusive)
Elvis Presley's granddaughter talks to ET about the his legacy and her role in 'Daisy Jones & The Six.'
Riley Keough is following in her famous grandfather, Elvis Presley’s, footsteps -- but on her own terms. The 33-year-old actress and her Daisy Jones & The Six co-star, Sam Claflin, sat down with ET’s Nischelle Turner to discuss their highly-anticipated Prime Video series.
The series is an adaptation of the bestselling book by Taylor Jenkins Reid and stars Riley and Claflin as Daisy Jones and Billy Dunne, the talented, charismatic, and volatile lead singers of a rock band in 1970s California who rocket to fame and then suddenly, and inexplicably, call it quits.
Although Riley is the granddaughter of rock legends, Elvis and Priscilla Presley, and the daughter of musicians Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough, she told ET that she had to work hard on tapping into her own musical ability.
"It's pretty amazing. I think we really came from not being able to play anything on a guitar or sing really, to having a full record going out which is like it's crazy to us I think," she said. "We had months of jam sessions, so we had months of rehearsals, so we were basically in band practice for, I don't know, a year."
Sam, who graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2009, also found challenges while filming for the series.
"It was not only playing the guitar but singing whilst I'm playing the guitar, while also trying to move like I know what I'm doing and I've been doing this my entire life whilst also singing in an American accent, whilst also running on no food because I was trying to lose weight for the part," he confessed.
The duo shared that they were both nervous when they first met with their singing coach together.
"Up until then, it'd just been like me auditioning alone and him auditioning alone, and it was this moment of like, 'Oh, we're both f**king bad,'" laughed Riley.
"Yeah, oh phew, it's not just me, I thought maybe she's miles ahead of me, I was like, ‘Oh no, no, we're both, we're both terrible,'" said Sam.
Following the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, earlier this year, and amid a battle over her trust with Priscilla, the actress opted not to attend an event for her upcoming show, Daisy Jones & the Six, last week. Although she skipped the event, Riley did make her debut on TikTok by promoting the show, and sharing a giggle-filled post with Sam.
@rileykeough We have no idea what we’re doing, but we’re here ✌🏻 Hi, TikTok! @daisyjonesandthesix ♬ Look At Us Now (Honeycomb) [Single Version] - Daisy Jones & The Six
Riley and her brother, Benjamin Keough (who died in 2020), were named co-trustees of Lisa Marie's trust in 2016. However, Priscilla is contesting "the authenticity and validity" of Riley's appointment, claiming that "there are many issues surrounding" it.
Amid the legal challenge, Joel Weinshanker, a Managing Partner at Elvis Presley Enterprises, spoke out in favor of Riley maintaining her trustee role in the wake of Lisa Marie's death. In a follow-up statement to ET, Priscilla spoke out about the situation.
"There is an individual that bought their way into the family enterprise that is trying to speak on behalf of our family. This person is not a representative of Elvis or our family," she said, without sharing whom she was referring to. "Please allow us the time we need to work together and sort this out. Please ignore 'the noise.' As I have always been there for Elvis' legacy, our family and the fans, I will continue to forge a pathway forward with respect, honesty, dignity, integrity and love."
Although a source told ET that Riley and her grandmother "aren't communicating at this time," she still acknowledges the impact her upbringing had on her.
"So, what does it mean to be continuing your family's musical legacy in a series like this?" asked ET.
"I certainly wouldn't put that pressure on it. I don't know if there is continuing my grandfather's legacy, it’s its own sort of thing to me. But it was a really fun experience for me," Riley said of making the show. "I'm not a musician -- or I am now I guess. I've been interested in film my whole life and so for me, it was more really loving to get to have a relationship with music in that way."
"I've listened to music and my whole family are musicians and I've been around this world a lot and been on tour and all that kind of stuff," she continued. "But I'd never really done it myself. So for me, it was more about my personal relationship with getting to play music, which was fun."
Daisy Jones & the Six premieres March 3 on Prime Video.
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