He sent the single-take recording to Luhrmann. Within days, Butler, who lives in Los Angeles, was called to the director’s home in New York. “From the moment he walked in, he was soulful, spiritual, kind — just brilliant,” said Luhrmann.
Butler still didn’t quite get the part. That changed after Luhrmann asked him to perform renditions of Elvis hits like “Suspicious Minds,” “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Heartbreak Hotel.” They also read lines from the script. “He also did such a perfect Southern accent,” Luhrmann said. “I remember asking one of my boys, ‘Where in Texas is he from?’ And I was told, ‘Oh, no – he’s coming out’ Anaheim†
Butler, who still speaks with an Elvis twang, grew up near Disneyland. His father, David, works in commercial real estate and his mother, Lori, ran a daycare center from their home. While his older sister, Ashley, was a popular cheerleader, Butler was a homebody, teaching himself to play the guitar and piano; skateboarding on a makeshift backyard ramp; and obsessed with James Dean and Marlon Brando movies on Turner Classic Movies. “He had such an incredible, animalistic spontaneity and I was entranced and fascinated,” Butler said of Dean.
Butler started taking acting lessons when he was in his early teens. “I remember printing out the ‘Pulp Fiction’ script when I was 12 and reading it to my mom when she took me to class,” he said with a laugh.
By age 20, Butler had put together a solid children’s television resume (“Zoey 101,” “Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure”) and was heading for young adult roles (“The Carrie Diaries,” “Arrow”). By age 24, Butler had appeared in a few indie films. “But it was a very slow burn,” he said.
His breakthrough came in 2018, when his performance in the Broadway revival of “The Iceman Cometh” caught the attention of critics — and the star of the production, Denzel Washington, who urged the William Morris Agency to find out about Butler. . Around the same time, Butler landed a small but notable role in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.” He played the Charles Manson follower Tex Watson.
