The Unspoken Truth Of Austin Butler
Most of the film world became acquainted with Austin Butler when they saw him transform into the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley, in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film "Elvis." Mastering the role would be no easy feat for anyone — even the famous A-list stars who tried out for the part — but the crown ended up going to the little-known actor who got his start on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon shows.
However, this critical acclaim for Butler has been a long time in the making. While his career began playing teenage heartthrobs in sitcoms and children's television, he quickly grew hungry for bigger and better roles. Though there are few roles in Hollywood bigger and better than Elvis Presley himself, it hasn't stopped Butler from seeking out a challenge every time he shows up on set. This ambition has made Butler one of the most interesting up-and-coming actors over the past few years.
Although Butler stepped out of the Graceland rocker's boots to receive critical acclaim and a Golden Globe, the actor has had many little triumphs throughout his career that "Elvis" fans may not know about. From his earliest roles to the closest connections he has to Elvis Presley, these are facts about Austin Butler that might change the way you see the star.
Austin Butler's musical roots date back to childhood
Obviously, playing Elvis Presley requires a lot of musical expertise, which is something Austin Butler has had a lifetime of experience with. As a former star on Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, Butler's artistic interests began early in his teenage years, around the same time he explored music as a hobby. Butler described to Interview Magazine that, although the first instrument he tried was a violin, "I got a guitar when I was 13 and fell in love. I would play for eight hours a day and that became my obsession."
If acting hadn't taken over Butler's life, it's likely that the guitar would've, as the actor later described how he would play the instrument as a teenager until his fingers bled. The guitar was even used as a disciplinary tool by Butler's parents, taken away from him whenever he was grounded.
Playing guitar has remained a strong interest of Butler's throughout his acting career, utilizing it during his guest appearance on "iCarly" as well as his more recent stint as the hips-shaking King of Rock and Roll. During a visit to Graceland while promoting "Elvis," Butler met up with Riley Keough, the actress and granddaughter of Presley, and got an opportunity to play one of Elvis's actual guitars. In fact, Butler now owns the guitar that Elvis played in his iconic 1968 comeback special.
He got his start acting in teen sitcoms
It wasn't long into Butler's career before the future "Elvis" star began booking parts on television left and right. His first role came on the popular Nickelodeon sitcom "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide," in the recurring role as Zippy Brewster, a fellow classmate at James K. Polk Middle School, though he never had any speaking lines. However, the role did allow him to get in touch with his first manager, who he was introduced to by the show's female lead, Lindsey Shaw.
Eventually, Butler booked a significant guest starring role on "iCarly," playing the titular love interest of the show's titular character in the episode "iLike Jake." In the episode, Carly books her crush on her hit web series to play guitar and sing, though the main trio quickly discovers that Jake is tone-deaf, forcing them to covertly use Autotune to make him sound better on air. Although the role was quite early in Butler's career, publications like L'Officiel would go on to consider it one of his most iconic roles.
Though his stint on "iCarly" was incredibly brief, never appearing in another episode, it was an important step in Butler's journey as a young actor, as it introduced him to one very important and influential figure in children's television.
Butler's star power increased after Zoey 101
Through the process of auditioning for and acting in "iCarly," Butler was recognized by Dan Schneider, the producer behind some of Nickelodeon's most popular sitcoms, including "Drake & Josh" and "Victorious." Although he was initially cast in a guest starring role on "Zoey 101," he later rejoined the show during Season 4 as James Garrett, the love interest of Jamie Lynn Spears' titular high schooler.
Butler's entry into "Zoey 101" was controversial among hardcore fans of the show, as the actor was replacing Sean Flynn's beloved character Chase Matthews. His character only appears in 9 of the 13 episodes in Season 4 of "Zoey 101," which ended up being the final season of the Nickelodeon show. Sadly, the door may be closed on Butler ever returning to the role, even after "Zoey 101" was one of many nostalgic television shows to receive a revival in 2023.
In July 2023, "Zoey 102" was released on Paramount+ as a follow-up to the original Nickelodeon series, featuring returning actors including Spears, Flynn, and Christopher Massey. Butler wasn't invited back for the film but told Variety's Awards Circuit podcast, "'Zoey 101' was a big turning point for me, because it was the first time I was ever a series regular on a show, so I got to be part of an entire season" (via EW). However, a photograph of his character briefly appears in the film, acknowledging his minor role in the original series.
Teenage roles made him worry about typecasting
Like any actor, Austin Butler experiences self-doubt and worry over his career from time to time, but since he began acting at such a young age, these thoughts came at quite an inopportune time. In a 2023 interview with The Sunday Times, Butler commented on said anxiety, saying, "There were many times you have these dreams where you think, 'I don't know if it will ever come true.'" The roles he found himself acting in weren't exactly what Butler wanted out of his acting career.
Nevertheless, an opportunity is an opportunity. After many years of appearances on shows like "Wizards of Waverly Place" and "Hannah Montana," as well as a supporting role in the 2009 film "Aliens in the Attic," Butler was cast in the "High School Musical" spin-off film "Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure," which was released directly to video in 2011. His casting was a personal favor from Ashley Tisdale herself, and Butler plays a student filmmaker who partners with Tisdale's character to help her succeed in New York City.
At this point, Butler was heading into his 20s and was getting even more desperate to be taken seriously as an actor. As he would later describe to Vogue, "I was sort of embarrassed about some of the things that I had to do," but ultimately embraced the opportunity to grow with every new experience.
He embraced nerd culture in the 2010s
As the mid-2010s rolled around, Austin Butler was still a long way away from the roles that would net him nominations at the Golden Globes and Academy Awards. However, he slowly began to step into more adult content, beginning in 2012 when he joined the main cast of the "Sex and the City" prequel "The Carrie Diaries," which aired for two seasons in 2013 and 2014. The roles Butler would land following the cancellation of "The Carrie Diaries" would slowly tread more into fandom territory.
After a brief recurring stint on The CW's "Arrow" Butler was cast in Kevin Smith's 2016 film "Yoga Hosers." Smith has a reputation among nerd fandoms for his filmography, which includes cult classics like "Clerks," "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back," and "Mallrats." In "Yoga Hosers," Butler plays Hunter Calloway, the crush of Harley Quinn Smith's character Colleen, who is actually a Satanist looking to sacrifice her.
The same year as "Yoga Hosers," Butler also treaded into fandom territory in MTV's fantasy series "The Shannara Chronicles," based on a book trilogy by Terry Brooks. While playing the lead of the series, Butler commented on entering the fantasy genre by telling Coup de Main, "It can feel really nice to be able to enter another world where good always overpowers evil and that sort of thing, but at the same time I think that there is always a truth that runs through fantasy."
His Broadway debut earned him critical acclaim
The trajectory of Austin Butler's career forever changed when the former Disney Channel star made his Broadway debut in a 2018 production of "The Iceman Cometh." One might assume that Butler would be overshadowed in his performance when sharing the spotlight with Denzel Washington, whose resume includes award-winning turns on both the big screen and the stage. However, in a surprise twist, it was Butler who shone the brightest in "The Iceman Cometh," according to critics.
In a review for The New Yorker, Butler was singled out as the best part of the show, with the outlet writing that "[Butler] stands his ground, reacting to what may be pure in them, as performers, with his own purity, the wellspring of his work, which is that of a potentially great artist." Washington ended up offering mentorship to Butler, who cites the "Training Day" star as a huge influence on his approach to acting from that moment onwards. Even after sharing the stage with Washington, Butler still reveres the actor even to this day and can remember how terrified he was to impress him at their first "The Iceman Cometh" table read.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tested his audition endurance
It's one thing for an actor to transition from teen-centric sitcoms to dramatic work, but it's another thing entirely to join the cinematic universe of Quentin Tarantino. Austin Butler got that opportunity with 2019's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," a retrospective look at Hollywood in 1969 through the eyes of a fading television star and his stuntman. The film crosses paths with the grisly goings-on of the Manson Family, who the same year murdered beloved actress Sharon Tate and her friends.
Butler was cast as Tex Watson, one of the Manson Family members who, in the alternate history of the film, gets sidetracked by Leonardo DiCaprio's Rick Dalton before encountering Tate. Though Butler impressed critics with the small role, it wasn't an easy feat to land it, the actor later alleged. After a successful screen test, Butler was flown to Los Angeles for a 12 hour audition with Tarantino himself, which ended with Butler being offered the part.
Butler has had nothing but kind things to say about the on-set experience. As he described to The Hollywood Reporter, "The mantra that Quentin has on set is that once you get the take you want, we're going to do one more and you know why? Because we love making movies and everybody screams it." However, this laid-back approach to filmmaking would not come in handy for Butler's next highly-anticipated project.
He got a strong recommendation to play Elvis Presley
The same year "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" was released, Austin Butler was up for the role of a lifetime — though the competition was stiff. Director Baz Luhrmann had been attached to "Elvis" since 2014, but it took a while for the project to be set in motion, and an extensive casting call went out to A-list stars for the titular role. Among Butler's competitors were Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, and British singer Harry Styles.
However, Butler beat out all of them for the part thanks to his musical prowess. First, it was Butler's audition tape of him singing "Unchained Melody," a song by the Righteous Brothers famously covered by Elvis Presley, that impressed Luhrmann. What was even more convincing for the director was an unexpected call from Denzel Washington to vouch for Butler's talent. As Luhrmann recalled to Entertainment Weekly, Washington told him "I've just worked with this guy on stage. I've never seen a work ethic like it."
Butler later went on to thank Washington for his recommendation and career mentorship when he won the Golden Globe for best actor after playing Elvis Presley. While a recommendation from someone like Denzel Washington seems like a no-brainer, it speaks to Butler's untapped talent that he won the part over other proven movie stars.
Playing Elvis took a physical toll on Butler
It's not uncommon for actors to put themselves through a lot for their roles, but Austin Butler went above and beyond portraying the King of Rock and Roll. His complete transformation into Elvis Presley was noticeable from the first trailers, but this transformation came at quite a price that put Butler in a serious crisis once the film had finally wrapped.
Aside from having to gain a considerable amount of weight to play an older, unhealthier Elvis in the film, Butler also found himself incredibly committed to the role, especially as production was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic's delays. Once filming was completed in March 2021, Butler told GQ that one day he "woke up at four in the morning with excruciating pain, and I was rushed to hospital." His body had shut down with a virus. Even Butler's co-star, Tom Hanks, offered him a role in the World War II miniseries "Masters of the Air" out of concern for the emotional whiplash Butler had been experiencing towards the end of shooting.
More noticeably, Internet memes took off pointing out the difference in Butler's voice after he had finished shooting the film, resembling the voice of Presley. However, Butler attributed this change to damage in his vocal cords after his extensive singing in the film, though he worried that he was struggling to let go of the character.
Saturday Night Live was a personal accomplishment for Butler
Like many burgeoning stars, Austin Butler got to carry the "Elvis" hype all the way to New York City when he was invited to host "Saturday Night Live" for their Christmas episode in 2022. The moment was very surreal for Butler, who described in his "Saturday Night Live" monologue how he used to watch the late-night sketch show with his mother, who passed away when he was 23. Coincidentally, Elvis's mother passed away when he was the same age, which is something that Butler felt deeply connected to.
For an actor who had strayed from comedy in pursuit of drama, Butler impressed in "Saturday Night Live" sketches like "White Elephant" and "Jewish Elvis." However, the episode was also a bittersweet moment in the history of "Saturday Night Live," as it was the final show for long-time cast member Cecily Strong, who had joined the show in 2012 and became one of the finest female performers to ever grace the halls of 30 Rock.
Although Butler had only met Strong that week, he joined the rest of the cast to pay tribute to the beloved "Saturday Night Live" star, serenading her with "Blue Christmas" during the show's final sketch of the night. Overall, Butler's "Saturday Night Live" debut was impressive from a comedy standpoint, and it also contained an overflow of heart and compassion.
Butler got to celebrate Elvis with Lisa Marie Presley
Sadly, Austin Butler's awards campaign for "Elvis" wasn't all triumph. The actor's highest high was winning the Golden Globe for best actor in January 2023, which he attended with the film's director Baz Luhrmann, as well as Elvis's wife Priscilla and his daughter Lisa Marie Presley. However, only two days later, Lisa Marie Presley tragically passed away from complications due to surgery. Her funeral was attended by Butler and Luhrmann, as well as a slew of other famous singers and stars.
Butler commented on Presley's passing at an Oscars luncheon a month later, recalling to People, "There was no filter of how she felt. And she really opened her heart to me very quickly." The two had initially met on the set of the film, and afterward, Lisa Marie raved about Butler's performance, calling it a spectacular portrayal of her father.
Although the "Elvis" press tour began as a tribute to the humongous talent and star that was Elvis Presley, by the end the real tributes were to Lisa Marie, who Butler felt was indelible to his experience playing the rock and roll star. It also gave the actor even more respect for Priscilla Presley and all that she's had to shoulder through her life.
Austin Butler follows in Sting's footsteps for Dune: Part Two
After a huge breakout role, particularly a character as iconic and larger-than-life as Elvis, many would assume that Austin Butler would have a hard time following it up. However, Butler quickly set off to shift audiences' expectations of him with his entry into Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Two." The sequel to the 2021 blockbuster is set to be released in March 2024, with Butler joining the cast as antagonist Feyd-Rautha, a role once played by musician Sting in the 1984 David Lynch adaptation.
Even Butler's other castmates are impressed by the gravitas that Butler has brought to the set of "Dune: Part Two." As co-star Stephen McKinley Henderson recalled of Butler on set to the This Is Purdue podcast, "He was quite chilling ... but when they say, 'Cut,' he would come over and say, 'Mr. Henderson, are you okay? Can I help you? Can I get you anything?'"
Though he'll be quite a menace to the other characters in "Dune: Part Two," Butler couldn't be more excited about joining the "Dune" universe, telling Variety, "It's like walking on to the set of any film that you admire, like walking onto 'Indiana Jones' or something like that." Hopefully, Butler managed to shake the Elvis Presley accent before filming his scenes as Feyd-Rautha.