Friday, June 24, 2022
Austin Butler: All Shook Up
Well, my hands are shaky and my knees are weak
I can't seem to stand on my own two feet
Who do you think of when you have such luck?
I'm in love
I'm all shook up
With the release of the Baz Luhrmann directed Elvis movie this week, I thought it was time to turn the spotlight on it's star, actor Austin Butler. Austin's actually appeared on FH a few times before, mostly in birthday posts. I first noticed the talented young actor not from his acting projects, but from the many shirtless pin-ups from celebrity and teen magazines.
Although he loved movies, the California born Butler didn't initially plan to be an actor. When he was just 13 however, he was spotted walking around the Orange County Fair by a representative from a background-acting management company. The representative approached Butler about work, and helped get him started in the entertainment industry.
Most of those shirtless pin-ups were published early in Butler's career. For the first few years of Butler's career, he was a regular on many Nickelodeon shows including; iCarly, Zoie 101 and Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. He also had regular roles on Disney's Ruby & the Rockits and Hannah Montana.
Soon, Butler was getting roles on more mainstream shows including CSI: Miami, Life Unexpected, Switched at Birth and The Carrie Diaries. Although Butler is known to many, he's also a bit of an unknown to movie going going audiences which appealed to director Baz Luhrmann. Some of the more well known actors who also auditioned for Elvis include: Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Harry Styles auditioned and tested for the role of Elvis Presley.
For his audition tape, Butler originally recorded himself singing Love Me Tender. When he watched it back however, he felt his performance was more of an Elvis impersonation than an Elvis performance. Butler ultimately decided not to submit the tape.
A few days later, after having a nightmare about his deceased mother, he decided to pour his emotion and grief into another song. Butler sat at the piano in just his bathrobe and filmed himself singing Unchained Melody. The performance was so full of emotion and pain, Luhrmann wasn't sure if it was an audition, or a breakdown. Either way, he wanted to meet Butler about an audition.
Having Butler in place as Elvis didn't mean that casting was then smooth sailing. It was during the production of the film that Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson tested positive for Covid. This halted the film's production in Australia and the film was temporarily shut down.. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Rufus Sewell were also originally cast as Presley's parents before the production was shut down. Six months later, they were forced to drop out when productions resumed due to scheduling conflicts.
There's doesn't appear to be any nude scenes in the film, but fingers crossed there's a scene of Elvis' military physical.... Although the movie, and Tom Hanks, have gotten mixed reviews, Butler is getting a lot of attention of his turn as Elvis. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, you can check it out on Youtube HERE:
' The movie ends up feeling sort of like this love letter to my mom, and to Elvis and his mom, you know? Because that’s the biggest void I’ve felt in my life, losing her. "And she was my best friend. I’ve never experienced that type of unconditional love, and I probably never will, of a mother – a sense, is what I mean. And I know that’s how Elvis felt.'
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