Austin Butler attributes his current fame as an Elvis impersonator to his ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens.
This month, the actor who has just been nominated for an Oscar also took home a Golden Globe for his performance as Elvis Presley in the film directed by Baz Luhrmann. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Butler, age 31, said that Hudgens, age 34, urged him to pursue the job back when they were in a relationship some years ago, and he thanked her for her encouragement.
He said, “We’d been together for such a long time, and she had this kind of clairvoyant moment, and so I really, I owe her a lot for trusting in me,” and he went on to say that she had a clairvoyant moment.
When Butler was recounting the story of how Hudgens urged him to pursue Presley, he referred to her as a “friend” in the most recent Hollywood Reporter Actors Roundtable. Butler has now verified that he was referring to Hudgens when he did so. When the L.A. Times inquired as to whether he was referring to Hudgens, he confirmed his statement by saying, “That’s accurate,” and adding, “I was with my partner at the time.”
In the chat with THR that was published earlier this month, he did not mention Hudgens by name at any point.
“When I went to look at Christmas lights with a buddy a month before I found out that Baz was producing the movie, there was an Elvis Christmas song playing on the radio, and I was singing along. My friend glanced across at me and said, “You’ve got to play Elvis.” Oh, it seems like such a long shot, I said “When asked about it, Butler stated.
He said, “After that, a few weeks passed, and I found myself playing the piano.” “I never actually sung in front of any of my buddies or for anybody else for that matter. I was playing the piano at the time, and that same buddy was present. She affirmed, “You can take me seriously. You have to seek out a way to get the rights to a script as soon as possible. Then, my agency gave me a call and informed me that Baz Luhrmann is going to be shooting a film on Elvis.”
Listen to today’s episode of our podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, for more information about Austin Butler.
Fans, however, were able to put together that Hudgens had told a narrative that was almost similar to this one many years ago when the two of them were still dating.
“Last December, we were listening to Christmas music, and then an Elvis Presley Christmas song came on.” “He had just darkened the color of his hair. I was observing him as he was singing along, and I said to him, “Babe, you need to play Elvis.” He has a natural blond hair color, and I was staring at him at the time.”
After hearing him sing more of the legendary rock-and-roller while playing the piano, Hudgens proceeded by saying how she urged him to audition after seeing him do it. Butler had expressed something similar.
Then, in the month of January, she said, “he was seated at the piano.” “And as he is playing and singing, I am thinking to myself, “I don’t know how, but you need to find out how you can play Elvis. ” To the effect of, ‘Like, I don’t know how we obtain rights or what we do, but you ought to play him.'”
After making their first public appearance together in 2011 at a birthday celebration for Ashley Tisdale’s sister, Butler and Hudgens continued to be seen together in public settings such as red-carpet events in subsequent years. After it was made known that Butler will be playing the part of Elvis beginning in July 2019, Hudgens voiced her approval of the casting decision in an Instagram post.
“I AM OVER THE F— MOOOOOOONNNNN. I AM OVER THE F— MOOOOOOONNNNN. I JUST CAN’T WAIT — I AM SO EXTREMELY PROUD OF MY HONEY!!!! “She wrote throughout this time period.
A reliable source informed PEOPLE that the two parted ways not long after that, with the breakup being formal in January 2020, citing both parties’ hectic business and travel commitments. Both Hudgens and Butler have moved on with new partners, with Hudgens dating professional baseball player Cole Tucker and Butler dating model Kaia Gerber.
