Austin Butler.Photo: Emma McIntyre/WireImage
Austin Butleris looking back at the difficult time he had grieving his mother while going back to work.
Butler, who got his start as a child star on Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel, said his mom saw his potential as an actor: “I owe her for everything because she quit her job and drove me to auditions and took me to acting classes.”
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Butler recalled, “I was dealing with grief, but it was also this feeling that I wasn’t aligned with something that felt truly fulfilling. I got done with that show, once they canceled it after two seasons, and I said, ‘I would rather not work as an actor than ever do something like that again.’ "
At that point, Butler said he decided to take some time off, but he eventually “started sinking into a deeper and deeper depression.”
“It was about six or eight months of that. Then my agent called and said, ‘You’ve got to put yourself on tape forThe Iceman Cometh. Denzel [Washington]’s doing it on Broadway,’ " he added.
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Though he thought “there’s no way that they’ll cast me, they’ll rip me to shreds, I don’t deserve to be here,” Butler landed the part. “And that’s the moment that changed my career,” he added.
Washington, 68, was instrumental in helping Butler land the role of Elvis Presley,making a call to director Baz Luhrmannto vouch for the young star and his work ethic. The performance earned him a Golden Globe nomination, among other awards attention, and put Butler in the conversation for the upcoming Oscar nominations.
Announcing the death of his mom back on Sept. 12, 2014, Butler tweeted at the time, “Lori Butler, my mom, my hero, & my best friend passed away this morning. Let’s all celebrate her. I love you and will miss you every day Mom.” He toldThe New York Timeslast year about the tattoo tribute he has of her and the number 27 on his wrist: “She was my best friend. She called 27 her God number. Whenever she saw it, she felt that God was looking out for her.”
source: people.com
