In Hannah Montana, a 15-year-old Butler briefly appeared as a character named Toby before returning in a later season as Derek Hanson, Miley’s blind date who hilariously ruins the night because of his inability to handle horror movies. In 2005, he had an uncredited role as Zippy Brewster for 41 episodes of Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide and later won fans over with his heartthrob-turning role as James Garrett, the boyfriend of Jamie Lynn Spears’ title character in Zoey 101. He’s appeared in a variety of teen shows and movies, including the High School Musical spinoff Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure and Aliens in the Attic. If you were growing up in the mid-to-late 2000s, then you have certainly seen Butler show up in one of your favorite Disney and Nickelodeon programs. But I can trace the moment I knew he was a star to a decade before-and can report you’ve all been sleeping on him for too long. The internet seems to be shocked, with floods of tweets and articles saying things along the lines of “whatever you feel about Elvis, who would have thought that Austin Butler would be this good.” Playing the cultural icon may have skyrocketed him to A-list recognition. He walks away as the heart and soul of this larger-than-life film and disappears into the role, making you second-guess whether you’re watching him perform or looking at archival footage of the real Elvis. Giving a performance worthy of the King, Butler is equal parts mesmerizing and heartbreaking as he plays Elvis at every stage of his long and complicated career. To that, I say: Real Butler stans won’t forget his roots, and he certainly shouldn’t be ashamed of them either.Īustin Butler is very good in Elvis. In a recent interview with The Wrap, Luhrmann stated that the Butler who first came to our attention through his Disney era at the onset of his career “doesn’t exist anymore” now that he has spent the past two years in the shoes of the rock icon. But for the ones who know, who have followed him all along, this feels good. Butler’s journey has been slow but steady up until Elvis. Many teen icons have successfully transitioned into having equally stellar careers as adults (see: Selena Gomez, Zendaya, and Miley Cyrus). It’s the moment everyone in the room realizes they have a superstar in their hands, and it’s the moment that proves that Butler has the power to evoke the same feral reaction from audiences (myself very much included).įor the past few months, Butler has been Hollywood’s latest It Boy: from being the talk of the Croisette at Cannes Film Festival in May to having audiences fawn over his magnificent performance as the late King of Rock and Roll in Baz Luhrmann’s latest spectacle, Elvis.

The room erupts into chaos as the women flock to the stage and rip his blazer off. The camera fixates on his crotch and wiggling legs as he sings “Hayride.” Young women in the audience lose control as men grow fearful of the effect of his otherworldly presence. The first time Austin Butler’s Elvis performs on stage is a magical, life-changing experience.

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