Austin Butler Says Denzel Washington Is “The Godfather Of Acting”

Star of “Elvis” Austin Butler has never hidden his respect and admiration for movie icon Denzel Washington. They both go way back to 2018 when Butler met Washington for the first time. The great advice he received from Washington has stuck with Butler all through his acting career.

Austin Butler — Butler Recalls The Advice Washington Gave Him

Speaking with “Backstage” Magazine in a new feature interview which was published Wednesday, January 18, the actor spoke of his first encounter with the “American Gangster” actor.

They both worked side by side in the 2018 Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’s “The Iceman Cometh.” Butler said that his first meeting with Washington “changed my perception of myself and my abilities.”

He went on to say “Something Denzel told me is: There is no stage acting or film acting; there is the truth,” and from what Butler told the outlet, it’s obvious he “frequently returns” to where he saved the things he learned from Washington while working with him.

The 31-year-old actor continued, “Human beings do really broad things in everyday life, sometimes, they do very subtle things. You can do either onstage or onscreen. That freed me up to realize [that] all of the things I was learning onstage—I could take them back into film.”

Butler also remembered not having much confidence in himself to land the role in “The Iceman Cometh” film. “I thought, I’m an L.A. actor; they’re not going to cast me,” he told Backstage. “I’d been told before that there’s this divide: That’s New York—they’re not going to look at you or respect you.”

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Austin Butler — Butler Gave A Shout Out To Washington At Golden Globe Awards

While Butler was accepting his award for Best Actor in his role in “Elvis” at the Golden Globe Awards, the actor showered loads of praise on his career mentor Washington for shaping him in his career.

“Also, I gotta thank Denzel Washington. Denzel, thank you for your kindness, thank you for your generosity and championing me when you did not have to. I am so grateful for all eternity to you.”

Baz Luhrmann director of the film “Elvis” once shared in a 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly how Washington called him on the phone and helped land the role of Elvis for Butler.

“I did not know Denzel,” said Luhrmann. “And he said, ‘I’ve just worked with this guy on stage. I’ve never seen a work ethic like it.”

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