This is Austin Butler, from Disney ‘kid’ to stardom with his interpretation of ‘Elvis’

Austin Butler has made a name for himself since beginning his career as a Disney actor, taking him from well-known kids’ shows to most recently playing the King of Rock and Roll himself in ‘Elvis’.

But it wasn’t a straightforward path. Throughout his career, Butler has gone out of his way to showcase his versatility and talent in a variety of roles, whether they were dramatic or comedic. Now, after over 15 years since he began his career, the actor has enjoyed recognition for his hard work, with the actor most recently having won both a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for Best Actor following his portrayal of the King.

Nominated for an Oscar at this year’s award show, here’s a look at how Butler took the reins of his career to take him to stardom.

Breaking out of his shell as a painfully shy child

Butler began his career by chance when he was invited to audition for a commercial while accompanying his older brother at the age of 13.

“They looked at me and they said, ‘Do you wanna read for this too?’ Everything inside of me was screaming no,” the actor recalled in a Vanity Fair interview.

“I was so incredibly shy. I just wanted to hide under a rock. When I was at a restaurant with my mom, I would whisper to her what I wanted to eat and she would order for me. I don’t know what came over me, but I said yes.” The decision changed the course of his life, and he landed a role as an extra. He was later approached by an agent while visiting the Orange County Fair, began taking acting classes, and landed Disney roles.

Butler was painfully shy as a child, and in his opening Saturday Night Live monologue in December, remembers that it was his mother who helped bring him out of his shell.

“I do ridiculous faces and voices, I did this ridiculous Gollum impression. Being silly with her is what broke me out of my shell and the core of what started me in acting,” he said.

Butler lost his mother at the age of 23, coincidentally the same age that Elvis, who he would later portray, lost his own mother.

But before he would take that role, Butler spent most of his teen years in a number of hit Disney shows, including ‘Hannah Montana’, ‘iCarly’, and ‘Zoey 101′. He would later take on roles in movies and TV shows such as ‘The Bling Ring’, ‘CSI: NY’, ‘The Carrie Diaries’ and ‘Arrow’.

Landing his big break

As a teen, it was Butler’s dream to work with Quentin Tarantino, and that dream came true when he landed a role in 2019′s ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, after Tarantino put him through a grueling 12-hour audition. But the actor landed the role of Tex Watson.

But it wasn’t until he spent five months talking with director Baz Luhrmann in a lengthy audition process for ‘Elvis’ that Butler’s talent was put to the test.

“He put me through the wringer,” he said of Luhrmann. “But I realize now it’s because he likes to be very spontaneous on set — he wanted to see if I’d lose my mind.”

In his acceptance speech for Best Actor at this year’s Golden Globes, Butler credited fellow actor Denzel Washington for directly recommending him for the role of Elvis to Luhrmann, citing Butler’s work ethic and dedication to the art of acting. The two actors worked together in ‘The Iceman Cometh’, on Broadway in 2018.

“Denzel, thank you for your kindness, thank you for your generosity and championing me when you did not have to,” Butler said in his speech.