Michael Shannon channels the King of Rock 'n' Roll in 'Elvis & Nixon'

NEW YORK, July 19 (UPI) -- Boardwalk Empire alum Michael Shannon says he intensely studied footage of Elvis Presley to prepare to play the late rock 'n' roll icon in the comedy Elvis & Nixon.

Co-starring Kevin Spacey as the titular president, the movie is inspired by a real-life, 1970 incident in which the singer showed up at the White House and requested a meeting with America's commander-in-chief. An image capturing the unlikely event is the most requested photograph in the National Archives.

"It was really challenging for me because there's not much about Elvis out there. I had to do some digging," Shannon deadpanned during a recent cast press conference in New York.

"No, I just started by watching the films, both the narrative films and the documentaries -- That's the Way it Is, Elvis on Tour. I watched press conferences, much like this one. Particularly one he did in Houston, which pre-dates the events in this movie by a few months, and I found that one particularly enlightening. I also have a great gift from [Presley confidante] Jerry Schilling, that Alex Pettyfer plays in the movie. He gave me a 45-minute interview that Elvis had recorded for Elvis on Tour, which they didn't wind up using in the movie at all, so it's an interview that not many people have heard and, as all these people will attest, I listened to it constantly. I was either doing a take or listening to that CD. That's my exciting story."

Directed by Liza Johnson, Elvis & Nixon is on Blu-ray and digital now. It co-stars Colin Hanks, Evan Peters, Johnny Knoxville and Ashley Benson.