00:00 "She said, 'I'm serious, you gotta figure out how you can get the rights to a script
00:04 and like write something and do Elvis' life.'"
00:07 "Who's this friend?
00:08 I need the number."
00:09 "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll give you the number."
00:10 Austin Butler is clearing the air about the time he referred to his former longtime girlfriend
00:15 Vanessa Hudgens as simply a "friend."
00:18 The viral moment occurred during The Hollywood Reporter's 2023 Actor Roundtable, when the
00:23 Elvis actor shared that he was encouraged to audition for the king of rock and roll
00:27 through a friend.
00:28 "There was an Elvis Christmas song on the radio and I was with a friend of mine and
00:32 I was singing along and my friend kind of looked over at me and goes, 'You gotta play
00:37 Elvis.'"
00:38 At the time, social media was in a tizzy because it was clear he was talking about Hudgens,
00:42 who shared the similar story in other interviews.
00:44 "We were listening to Christmas music and an Elvis Presley Christmas song came on and
00:49 he had just dyed his hair dark, he's a natural blonde blonde and I was looking at him and
00:53 he was singing along and I was like, 'Babe, you need to play Elvis.'"
00:57 Many fans felt he was downgrading the role she played in his life.
01:01 Now in a cover story for Esquire, Butler is finally explaining why he referred to her
01:05 that way at the time.
01:07 "I felt that I was respecting her privacy in a way and not wanting to bring up a ton
01:11 of things that would cause her to have to talk.
01:13 I have so much love and care for her.
01:15 It was in no way trying to erase anything."
01:18 Butler currently has Masters of the Air on Apple TV+ and Next stars in Dune Part 2, out
01:23 in theaters March 1.
01:25 For more on this interview, head to THR.com.
01:29 And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter
01:32 News.
01:33 Thanks for watching!
01:35 (upbeat music)
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