Austin Butler Reveals How Denzel Washington Changed His Life
When you think about the greatest actors of today, you’ll probably place Denzel Washington on the list. Washington is a renowned actor with a trailblazing resume spanning decades and his years in the entertainment industry have helped him acquire some unique skills. The Inside Man actor played a big role in Elvis star Austin Butler‘s career. Butler recently revealed how Washington changed his life and career.
Austin Butler gave Denzel Washington a shout-out while accepting an award
Butler has been receiving plenty of accolades since playing the King of Rock and Roll in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis. The actor has become an award fixture since his performance and it’s easy to see why. There are many movies that have brought Elvis Presley’s legacy to the screen, but Butler’s performance is among the best yet.
The actor recently gave Washington a shout-out while accepting a Golden Globe Award saying, “I also gotta thank Denzel Washington. Denzel thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your generosity and for championing me when you didn’t have to. I’m so grateful for all eternity to you.”
Washington and Butler aren’t strangers to one another. The pair starred in Broadway’s The Iceman Cometh in 2018 and The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star has been singing praises for the 68-year-old actor since then.
Denzel Washington pulled a few strings to help Austin Butler land ‘Elvis’ role
Washington and Butler’s paths may have not crossed since their 2018 Broadway play, but the 31-year-old star seemed to have imprinted on the veteran actor, something Butler is grateful for. In a recent sit-down on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Butler revealed that Washington made the call that helped him land his role in Elvis.
Butler recalled meeting Washington in 2018 while doing The Iceman Cometh and said Washington was very kind to him and it changed his whole career. “The moment that changed my whole career, because I’ve been doing this since I was 12, but it was doing a play with Denzel called The Iceman Cometh here in New York. And he was so kind to me,” he said.
When asked if he was nervous meeting the actor, Butler said, “I mean it’s like meeting royalty and meeting your hero from Training Day at the same time, so it’s really intense.” The star recalled being so eager to impress Washington that he memorized every single line in the script of the four-hour play.
Butler revealed that he and Washington didn’t talk again but the Fences star called Elvis director Luhrmann and put in a good word for him. “He called Baz when I was screen-testing for the role and kind of vouched for me, so I owe him a lot,” the actor said. Luhrmann had revealed the same in a 2022 Entertainment Weekly interview saying Washington called him and talked Butler up to him.
“I got a call from Denzel Washington who gave me a cold call. I did not know Denzel. And he said, “I’ve just worked with this guy on stage. I’ve never seen a work ethic like it,” Luhrmann told the publication. Luhrmann said the call convinced him to give Butler a try and he was impressed with his acting skills.
A look at Austin Butler’s award wins for ‘Elvis’
2022 was a good year for Butler whose performance as Presley in Elvis helped put him on the map. He won Best Actor at the 2023 Golden Globes beating out Brendan Fraser, Hugh Jackman, Bill Nighy, and Jeremy Pope. He also won a People’s Choice Award and an AACTA Award in 2022.
Butler has been nominated for a 2023 Oscar for Best Actor, a Critics Choice Movie Award in the same category, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role.
