Austin Butler has revealed why he called his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens a “friend” in a viral Elvis interview.
The comment sparked outrage amongst fans as they felt the actor had downplayed their nine-year relationship.
However, the 32-year-old defended his decision not to name the former Disney star and reassured fans it was out of respect.
In an interview with Esquire, Austin explained: “I felt that I was respecting her privacy in a way and not wanting to bring up a ton of things that would cause her to have to talk.”
“I have so much love and care for her. It was in no way trying to erase anything.”
The actor went on to say he views this incident as a “lesson learned.”
@jesmaar17 Okkkkk “friend” sure #austinbutler #austinbutleredit #vanessahudgens #elvis #elvispresley #elvispresleymovie2022 #elvispresleymovie #fyp #foryourpage ♬ original sound – jesmaar17
During a Hollywood Reporter roundtable, he recalled that a month before learning Baz Luhrmann was casting for Elvis, his “friend” had a “clairvoyant moment” about his future.
Austin revealed: “I was looking at Christmas lights and there was an Elvis Christmas song on the radio and I was with a friend of mine,”
“I was singing along and my friend looked over at me and said, ‘You gotta play Elvis.’ I said, ‘Oh, that’s such a long shot.'”
“A couple of weeks later, I was playing the piano,” he continued.
“I never really sang for any of my friends or anything. That same friend was there and I was playing the piano.”
Austin continued: “She said, ‘I’m serious. You gotta figure out how you can get the rights to a script.’ Then my agent called and said, ‘So Baz Luhrmann is making an Elvis film.”
Fans put two and two together when a 2019 interview of Vanessa sharing the exact same story on Live with Kelly and Ryan resurfaced.
Vanessa, who was still romantically involved with Austin at the time, said: “Last December, we were driving along and we were listening to Christmas music, and then an Elvis Presley Christmas song came on.”
“He had just dyed his hair dark. He’s a natural blond, and I was looking at him and he was singing along and I was like, ‘Babe, you need to play Elvis.'”
“Then in January, he was sitting at the piano,” she continued.
“And he’s playing and he’s singing and I’m like, ‘I don’t know how, but you need to figure out how you can play Elvis. Like, I don’t know how we get rights or what we do, but you need to play him.'”
The American Actor also commented on his current romance with supermodel Kaia Gerber, who he began dating in 2021.
“I’m happy,” Austin gushed about his relationship.
The 29-year-old also admitted he is understanding of the public’s interest in his love life as he confessed he wants to “know about other people too.”
Austin quipped: “I want to know about Daniel Day-Lewis’s life.”
