Austin Butler opens up about his late mother. Image Source: Glamour
Austin Butler opens up about his late mother.
Elvis actor Austin Butler, during a recent The Hollywood Reporter’s Actor Roundtable discussion, reflected on a time that was difficult for him since he was grieving for his mother and he had to go back to work.
Austin Butler’s mother, Lori, passed away in 2014 after battling cancer. He was 23 years old and said during the discussion that he remembers himself questioning his acting career at the time and how his experience of making MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles was emotional because he missed his mother.
The actor who started working as a child star on Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel shared with other actors on the panel that his mother was the one who saw potential in him as an actor, and he owes everything he is today to her because Austin explained that she quit her job and drove him to auditions and took him to act classes.
Austin later clarified that after he did start getting instructors who would tell him to view Raging Bull and East of Eden, which he appears to have done and subsequently fell in love with the craft, however, he was continuing to work for Nickelodeon where a person would make $100 a day or something, he and he added that it was a big deal for him as a kid. Before his mother passed away, the actor continued by stating that he subsequently went on to a young adult TV show. Austin stated that he had never felt of that kind pain before, and he began to doubt everything at that time.
While doctors and patients in hospitals couldn't stop crying, he couldn't help but wonder if acting is a noble profession, what should he be doing around him, or if he should switch from acting to something where he could help people dealing with cancer or something. The actor said that after his mom passed away, he went straight to New Zealand to start shooting a young adult TV show.
Austin noted that a lot of people were enjoying the show, and that he had fun doing horse riding as well as other things, but he would return home and cry every night due to the fact of dealing with sadness, but there was also this emotion that he wasn't closely allied with something truly satisfying. The Elvis Presley actor asserted that when the show was pulled after two seasons, he told himself that he would rather just not work as an actor than do something similar again.
After a while, talking about his Broadway stint, Austin described that he began sinking deeper and more deeply into depressive episodes, and it was not until six to eight months later that his representative called and told him that he had to put himself on video for The Iceman Cometh, which he did. When he had asked to take flight out to meet with Scott Rudin and George Wolfe, Austin assumed that he had not been selected but that the makers will indeed rip him to pieces.
Austin mentioned that he flew down to New York and worked with one of his acting coaches, Larry Moss, for three days, and they gave him the job that changed his career. Austin Butler appeared alongside Denzel Washington in the 2018 Broadway revival of The Iceman Cometh. Denzel Washington was crucial in assisting Austin Butler in attempting to land the role of Elvis Presley in Elvis, calling filmmaker Baz Luhrmann to make a case for the young actor and his willingness to work hard. Austin Butler's performance earned him a Golden Globe for his work in Elvis, among other honors, and put him in the running for the forthcoming Oscar nominations.
Austin Butler revealed that he hired a movement coach, a singing coach, and a dialect coach for his role as Elvis and worked on it like it was his job until he met director Baz Luhrmann a month later, where the two of them tried different things and Austin Butler appeared for a screen test and got the job.
Last year, he told The New York Times about his tattoo homage to her and the number 27 on his wrist. He described her as his best friend, and she regarded the number 27 as her God number. Austin stated that every time she saw it, she felt as if God was watching out for her.
Austin Butler paid homage to his mother during his recent Saturday Night Live debut, saying some of his favorite moments from growing up are viewing SNL with her and they'd watch every week, even though he had this social awkwardness, while he was with her, he would just do anything at all to make his mom laugh.
The actor said he'd do ridiculous voices and facial expressions for her, and he did this absurd Gollum impression. He mentioned that it was being silly with her that got him out of his shell and prompted his passion for acting. Austin stated that his mother is no longer with him, but he has been remembering about her a lot this week, envisioning how proud she would have been of her son, who was previously unable to order food himself at a restaurant but is now standing on this stage. And he noted that tonight, just know that any ridiculous voice or funny face you see him make is for his, mom.
