Austin Butler *Finally* Acknowledged Vanessa Hudgens’ Manifestation of “Elvis” Role
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Earlier this month, Austin Butler referred to ex Vanessa Hudgens as a “friend” and the whole internet went ??? and criticized the actor for diminishing Vanessa’s role in his Elvis success. But in a new interview, Austin — who just landed his first-ever Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll — finally gave Vanessa the credit she deserves.
Following his Oscar nom, Austin confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that yes, it was his “partner at the time” (...not his “friend”...) who encouraged him to audition for the Baz Luhrmann biopic. When the interviewer asked Austin to affirm that the partner was Vanessa, the actor replied, “That’s right.”
“We’d been together for so long and she had this sort of clairvoyant moment and so I really, I owe her a lot for believing in me,” he added. (FYI, Austin and Vanessa dated for nearly a decade, from 2011 to 2020.)
ICYMI, Vanessa revealed back in 2019 that, even before Austin was cast in Elvis, she encouraged him to seek out the role. “Last December, we were driving along and we were listening to Christmas music, and then [an] Elvis Presley Christmas song came on,” Vanessa shared during an appearance on Live! With Kelly and Ryan. “And he had just dyed his hair dark — he’s a natural blonde — and I was looking at him and he was singing along and I was like, ‘Babe, you need to play Elvis. Like I don’t know how, but I’m serious, you need to play him.”
Ofc, when Austin recounted the seemingly same exact story during an Actor’s Roundtable with The Hollywood Reporter, and referred to his partner of nine years as “a friend,” fans and followers were all sorts of confused.
What has Vanessa said about all this? Well, she’s kept quiet about the whole “friend” comment, but she did have something to say about Austin’s (evidently permanent) Elvis voice.
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