The latest trailer for the portrayal of Elvis Presley in the long-awaited movie Elvis is one that triggers curiosity about the star Austin Butler’s career as an actor. Elvis seems to be his first high-budget film where he stars as the main character on the big screen.
His role as the “King of Rock and Roll” will be the perfect showcase of his acting, singing, and dancing abilities (yes, he will be doing all the singing and dancing himself). After watching a preview of the film, Elvis Presley’s wife, Priscilla Presley, has even praised Butler for his performance as her late husband. Watch out — a triple threat is coming through! Here are some of Austin Butler’s performances in various movies and television series worth knowing before watching Elvis.
‘The Bling Ring’ (2011)
Austin Butler starred in this 2011 TV movie written and directed by Michael Lembeck, where he played the role of Zack Garvey. The film is based on a real-life gang known as the Bling Ring. The group consisted of teenagers and young adults convicted of stealing and breaking into the homes of several high-profile celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom/Miranda Kerr, Lindsay Lohan, and Megan Fox.
Butler stars in the 30-minute production alongside Jennifer Grey, Yin Chang, and Tom Irwin. Another feature-length film of the same name was released two years later in 2013. It was written and directed by Sofia Coppola.
‘Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure’ (2011)
This romantic comedy film is a spin-off for High School Musical’s Sharpay Evans (Ashley Tisdale). It focuses on her life after graduation and trying to get into a Broadway show in New York. She meets Peyton Leveret (Austin Butler), an aspiring film director who happens to be the son of her mother’s friend from college. He promises to offer Sharpay a studio apartment if she agrees to be the star of his project. He is also Sharpay’s love interest in the film.
‘The Carrie Diaries’
The teen-comedy drama is a prequel to the hit HBO series Sex and the City. Austin Butler plays Sebastian Kydd, who becomes the main character, Carrie Bradshaw’s (AnnaSophia Robb) love interest. As the new kid in Carrie’s high school, he grabbed the attention of many girls with his charming looks and personality but found himself drawn to Bradshaw.
Throughout the series, they have an on-and-off relationship (as most teenage romances are). The Carrie Diaries ran for two seasons and a total of 26 episodes, with many claiming that the series ended too soon!
‘The Shannara Chronicles’
The Shannara Chronicles is an adaptation of fantasy author Terry Brooks’ novel, The Sword of Shannara Trilogy. The story follows the journey of three heroes, Will Ohmsford (Austin Butler), Amberle Elessedil (Poppy Drayton), and Eritrea (Ivana Baquero). Their mission is to protect the ancient tree, Ellcrys, from dying and potentially releasing all the exiled demons back into their world, Four Lands.
Austin Butler’s character, Wil Ohmsford, is a half-human, half-elf who is the last of the Shannara bloodline. The series was canceled after only a two-season run, consisting of 20 episodes. The Shannara Chronicles was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Fantasy TV Series.
‘Switched at Birth’
The teen and family drama, set in Kansas City, told the story of Daphne Paloma Vasquez (Katie Leclerc), who was born deaf (the actress is hard of hearing in real life) and was switched at birth with Bay Madeline Kennish (Vanessa Marano). Daphne is raised by a single mother, Regina (Constance Marie), who earns a low-income salary, in contrast to Bay, who lives in a beautiful suburban house with her wealthy parents, John and Kathryn Kennish (D. W. Moffett and Lea Thompson).
The series revolves around Daphne and Bay’s struggles with their identities while getting to know their biological mothers and trying to accept the reality of their situation. Austin Butler plays the role of Wilkie, who dates Daphne briefly and is a recurring character in the first season of the series. The series received critical acclaim as it is the “first mainstream television series to have multiple deaf and hard-of-hearing series regulars and scenes shot entirely in American Sign Language (ASL).”
‘Ruby & the Rockits’
When Ruby (Alexa Vega) reconnects with her father, David (David Cassidy), his lack of parenting skills encourages him to reach out to his estranged brother Patrick (Patrick Cassidy) for help. The Gallagher brothers (on-screen and in real life) were former teen icons in the ’80s, with David choosing to live a simple life as a suburban dad while Patrick continues to live up to his overdue glory days.
Butler played the role of Jordan Gallagher, one of the main characters and son of Patrick and Audie Gallagher (Katie A. Keane). The series only ran for a season (10 episodes) partly due to the mixed reviews from associations such as Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Boston Globe, and The Hollywood Reporter.
‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ (2019)
The film focuses on the life of Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio), who gained popularity in the 1950s but is now struggling to find his place in the Hollywood scene. He lives next door to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate: their lives would forever be changed due to the Manson murders.
Remember Tex Watson, who was a member of the Manson Family cult? He was involved in the Tate-Labianca murders, which took place in 1969. Charles Manson seemed to have orchestrated the murders by instructing Watson and his other followers to do his dirty deeds. Austin Butler played the role of Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
‘Life Unexpected’
Life Unexpected follows the life of a teenager, Lux Cassidy (Britt Robertson), who has spent all of her life in foster care. Lux’s only wish before she turns 16 is to be emancipated from her parents, but things take a turn, and she is back into their custody.
Austin Butler played Jones Mager, who had a recurring role throughout the series. He is the school’s star quarterback and becomes one of Lux’s love interests. Although they never became official, they share a kiss by the end of the series finale. The series received an average rating of 7.5/10 on IMDb and 71% on Rotten Tomatoes but was unfortunately canceled after two seasons.
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