For Elvis Presley fans, a new Netflix documentary is a goldmine of untold stories.

In the singer’s epic comeback special, we get a sneak peek behind the scenes, where he opens up about being fed up with Hollywood’s cash-grab musicals and how badly he wanted to get back on top.

Elvis Presley’s life continues to captivate us, even 47 years after his passing.

It’s almost unimaginable that he was only 42 when he left us, especially considering the legacy he left behind. But now, a new Netflix documentary, Return of the King: The Fall & Rise of Elvis Presley, takes us deeper into the King’s personal struggles and his iconic 1968 comeback.

For fans, the documentary offers a rare behind-the-scenes look, featuring never-before-seen clips and new interviews with Presley’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, and his close confidante/business partner, Jerry Schilling.
Elvis’ heartbreaking confession
The film also dives into the raw moments leading up to Elvis’ ’68 Comeback Special — a turning point in his life and career. Aired on NBC on December 3, 1968, it marked Presley’s return to live performance after a seven-year hiatus, a period in which he focused mainly on film roles.
Directed by Jason Hehir, the film sheds light on Presley’s frustrations with Hollywood and his quest to redefine his career.
 
“I was interested in exploring his decision to play in front of a live audience for the first time in seven years,” says Hehir. “1968 was the biggest crossroads of Elvis’s life. It made sense to take a deep dive.”
In the documentary, we hear Elvis’s candid frustration with the image Hollywood had created for him. “Hollywood’s image of me was wrong, and I knew it, and I couldn’t do anything about it,” Presley confesses. “I didn’t know what to do. I just felt I was obligated to things I didn’t fully believe in.”
“That to me is a crime”
Perhaps one of the most emotional moments of the documentary is when Priscilla Presley watches a clip of Elvis performing the children’s song ”Old MacDonald Had a Farm” in the 1967 film Double Trouble.
“That to me is a crime,” Priscilla says, her voice tinged with sadness.
“It is a crime. To put him in that situation and sing that song. It made him a laughingstock. And he knew it.”
Elvis’s film career had been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. While he initially starred in a string of successful films, his later years in Hollywood felt increasingly limiting.
By the mid-1960s, his roles in formulaic, cash-grab musicals frustrated him. His dream of being the next James Dean or Marlon Brando seemed more out of reach than ever. Jason Hehir reveals that Elvis sometimes became “physically ill” thinking about his film career.
“He was frustrated, but he was also disillusioned. He wanted more.”
Elvis frustration boiled over
In 1968, after seven years of no live performances and increasingly mediocre films, Elvis was at a crossroads. His frustration boiled over, and he decided to make a bold move — returning to the stage.
The former teen idol was eager to reclaim his throne, but few realize just how uncertain and terrified Elvis was before stepping back onto the stage.
”He almost didn’t leave his dressing room,” Hehir explains. ”He was terrified of going back out in front of an audience, and he always had horrible stage fright. This goes back to the days of Ed Sullivan and the early days of performing in his career. He always had tremendous anxiety about going out and performing in front of people. But then, once he got out there, that’s where he was the most comfortable in the world, on a stage with a microphone in his hand.”
Truth behind iconic outfit
Once he did step onto that stage, he wasn’t just any performer — he was a man reinventing himself. There’s an iconic photo of Elvis performing that night, where he famously channeled one of his acting idols, Marlon Brando, by wearing a black leather suit. But why?
It all started when show producer Steve Binder discovered a photo of Elvis sitting on a Harley Davidson, rocking a leather outfit that screamed Marlon Brando in The Wild One. Inspired by the image, he showed it to costume designer Bill Belew, asking if he could create something similar for Elvis to wear during the show.
Wikipedia Commons
Belew, ever the visionary, suggested designing a custom leather ensemble that would be uniquely Elvis — perfect for his big comeback.
Belew initially envisioned Elvis in a bold, Napoleon-inspired look, with a high-collared leather jacket that framed his face perfectly. To complete the outfit, he paired it with soft silk shirts and a scarf around his neck. But would the King approve? Absolutely. Elvis was on board with the vision, and together, they settled on the final design.
The outfit made its way into both the arena and improvisation segments of the special. While Binder hadn’t fully anticipated how scorching hot the stage lights would be, Belew had a feeling that Elvis, ever the professional, would still love the outfit — even if it meant sweating under the intense heat.
 
The story behind Elvis’s iconic outfit has been known for some time, but with the advent of new AI technology, old black-and-white photos can now be colorized, offering an even stronger sense of how groundbreaking Elvis’s look was.
Getty Images
The bold black leather jacket, in particular, is often seen as a powerful statement —many have interpreted it as Elvis’s way of showing the world that he still had it, proving that the King was back and ready to reclaim his throne.
The comeback was also a resounding success, with the special earning huge viewership and the soundtrack hitting the top ten on the Billboard 200.
”He hadn’t performed in seven years… so many things had changed since he was the guy who could captivate audiences,” Hehir says. ”He used to have screaming teenage girls, but those teenage girls were now mothers.”
Changed almost everything in his life
Sure, the album sales weren’t exceptional, especially when compared to the huge success Elvis Presley had achieved earlier.
However, the success of the TV special gave his career new life and literally paved the way for his return to live performances.
In the end, it changed almost everything in his life. Elvis was back — so was his artistry and dignity. But despite that, his self-image as an actor never really recovered. Hollywood had damaged him too much, and it was something he could never fully get over.
”We still don’t know what kind of actor Elvis could have become,” Hehir reflects. ”His movie career just dried up. It was so mismanaged that he never got a chance to develop as an actor and demonstrate any sort of acting skills. . . . But I think he also recognized what he truly loved.”
PROC. BY MOVIES

Actor Clint Eastwood has worked with a variety of filmmakers during his years in the film industry. In his experience, there was one filmmaking habit he could barely tolerate from other directors.

It might have also showed Eastwood what not to do when he indulged in a career behind the camera.

Clint Eastwood once called out directors who did too many takes

Eastwood became interested in directing fairly early in his acting career. After getting his big break in the classic Western series Rawhide, he asked to direct a couple of episodes.

“Then, the production company reneged on their promise that I could do it,” Eastwood once told DGA.“They said that CBS didn’t want actors who were in the shows to be directing the shows. So I kind of dropped the idea for a while and then, after I’d been working with Sergio Leone on A Fistful of Dollars, observing the crews in Europe and getting a broader look at filmmaking around the world, I got interested again.”
Opportunity presented itself when Eastwood eventually directed his first feature Play Misty for Me.
“It was a great experience, and I had the bug after that,” Eastwood said.
It was perhaps because of his own time as a filmmaker that Eastwood understood the process behind other directors. At one point, Eastwood became very critical of directors who did multiple takes. So much so that he called into question their qualifications and expertise as filmmakers.
“Some of these new directors will shoot 30 takes of a scene just because they don’t know what they want. They wind up with thousands of feet [of film], then they cry for some some editor to come in and save their butts. If you can’t see It yourself, you shouldn’t be a director,” Eastwood once told The New York Times.
Clint Eastwood has been known for only doing a couple of takes
Eastwood seems to have maintained his philosophy for limited takes in his more mature years. Actors like Matt Damon have been pleasantly surprised by the veteran star’s efficiency as a filmmaker. The Bourne Identity star had even gotten chewed out by Eastwood for wanting to do more than one take in Invictus.
“We did the first take, it went pretty well, but Clint says, ‘Cut. Print. Check the gate.’ Which means we’re gonna move on,” Damon recalled on Hot Ones. “And I said, ‘Hey, boss, maybe you think we can get one more?’ And he just turned and he goes, ‘Why? You wanna waste everybody’s time?’ I was like, ‘Ok, we’re done. Alright good, let’s move on.’”
But Eastwood believed his own habit for working quickly in films came down to his work on the small screen.
“I came up through television, and in television you had to move fast. The important thing, of course, is what comes out on the screen. I like to move fast only because I think it works well for the actors and the crew to feel like we’re progressing forward,” he said.
However, Eastwood cautioned that his reputation as a quick director could easily backfire.
“You don’t want to do Plan 9 from Outer Space, where the gravestones fall over and you say, ‘I can’t do another take. We’re too busy. Move on.’ You’re still making a film that you want to be right. But I find, as an actor, that I worked better when the directors were working fast,” he said.
Clint Eastwood once preferred directing over acting
Although he’s experienced massive success doing both, Eastwood asserted that there were certain benefits being a filmmaker had over being an actor.
“To doing both jobs, I’ve done it so many times that I never put the difference in. Directing a film is the same… it’s a little more leisurely that way. You don’t have to suit up. People aren’t coming in and combing your hair or whatever. It’s a little more leisurely, but different. But they both have an adventure. It’s a new adventure,” he said.
PROC.BY MOVIES

Oscar-winning actor John Wayne is one of Hollywood’s biggest icons. The world knows him for his war and western movies that audiences of all ages could enjoy. However, he also turned down a fair amount of roles over the course of his career. Wayne rejected the lead role in High Noon and called it “the most un-American thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life.”

Wayne didn’t serve in the military, which would later become one of his biggest regrets. Nevertheless, he was still a major patriot. Wayne was vocal when it came to speaking his mind about his conservative Republican values. He frequently spoke his mind about his perspective and how they related to the social and political climate in interviews. Wayne turned down some roles in movies such as Steven Spielberg’s 1941 as a result of his patriotism.

However, Wayne’s views were also at odds with many of his colleagues. His 1971 Playboy interview remains in many minds. Wayne openly said a slur against the LGBTQ community and made racially problematic statements. He’s a Hollywood icon who was never afraid to speak his mind, regardless of who or what it was about.

Ronald L. Davis’ Duke: The Life and Image of John Wayne explores the Oscar-winner’s past and his interactions with various Hollywood productions. He was offered the role of Marshal Will Kane in Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon. He turned the role down, which then went to actor Gary Cooper instead.

The story follows Will as he’s getting ready to leave the small town of Hadleyville, New Mexico, with his new wife, Amy (Grace Kelly). He discovers a criminal who was set free and is set on seeking revenge on the marshal who originally turned him in. The townsfolk cower in fear of his return, so Will has to face him alone.
“The most un-American thing I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” Wayne said. “I’ll never regret having helped run Carl Foreman [High Noon’s screenwriter] out of the country.” Foreman was a member of the Communist Party for a time, which Wayne called out.
Davis noted that “Duke incorrectly remembered the Western’s final scene as one in which the United States marshal played by Gary Cooper throws his badge to the ground and steps on it.” However, Cooper’s character never steps on the badge. Rather, he tosses it to the ground before retreating to the desert.
Gary Cooper won an Oscar for ‘High Noon’
Wayne would finally win an Oscar with his third nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for 1969’s True Grit. However, he was earlier nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Sands of Iwo Jima and Best Picture for The Alamo.