Austin Butler names his five favourite movies of all time
The movie industry is in a constant state of flux, with one generation of actors and filmmakers ever-so-slowly making way for the next, with each party learning from the other to create a swirl of beautiful cinematic diversity. Where the likes of such veterans as Robert De Niro, Al Pacino and Meryl Streep are transitioning out of the industry, newcomers, including Sydney Sweeney, Rachel Sennott and Austin Butler, are only just getting started.
Appearing in middling TV roles ever since the mid-2000s, Butler, much like many young stars, made his name on the Disney channel, making endless shows and small-screen movies before he transitioned to cinema in approximately 2015. From there, it wouldn’t take the American star to make a name for himself, working with Jim Jarmusch in The Dead Don’t Die and Quentin Tarantino in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood before he would earn an Oscar nomination for his role in Baz Luhrmann’s cabaret Elvis.
Ever since, Butler has rightly been considered one of cinema’s most glittering young stars, learning his trade from some of the industry’s greatest names, from James Dean to Tom Cruise, as detailed in his interview with A-Frame, where he breaks down five movies that inspire him more than any other.
The first film to grace his list of cinematic inspirations is Elia Kazan’s East of Eden, starring James Dean, a movie that has inspired young actors for generations. “I saw East of Eden when I was maybe 11 or 12 years old,” he told the publication, “It was just as I was starting to have the spark of wanting to become an actor and watching James Dean really blew my mind. I watched that film every day for a week. It was an obsession of mine.”
From a 1950s classic to a curious American hit made at the turn of the new millennium, helmed by the great Paul Thomas Anderson, Butler’s second choice is the Oscar-nominated film Magnolia. “Paul Thomas Anderson is my absolute hero,” the actor proclaims, praising the director of some of the 21st century’s greatest cinematic feats, “Magnolia was my first experience of really falling in love with one of PTA’s films. It’s such a feat to be able to bring all those characters together into one story.”
The Quentin Tarantino Palme d’Or winner Pulp Fiction seems to make it onto almost every single ‘favourite films list’ from across Hollywood, and Butler’s list is no different. Much like East of Eden, the vibrancy of Pulp Fiction resonated greatly with young audiences, with Butler stating: “The pop cultural references and the rhythm that he writes in really sparked my young brain at that time. But then, on top of that, you have the imagery of the film and the acting that is so incredibly captivating and rich. It’s just such a rich film.”
From one iconic American filmmaker to another, Butler’s fourth choice comes from the great Martin Scorsese, opting for 1980’s Raging Bull, starring Robert De Niro. Speaking about the Oscar-winning performer, he states: “The freedom that I see when I watch him, the subtlety that he can have, and then, moments of explosion. And it’s so incredibly dynamic. I cannot take my eyes off of him.”
His final choice praises yet another American filmmaking icon, albeit one who rarely receives the plaudits he deserves, John Cassavetes. Flicking through his body of work, Butler chooses the emotional drama A Woman Under the Influence, calling the director one of the “masters of cinema” in the process, before adding: “I’m so inspired by his style of filmmaking — just the honesty, how raw it is, how heartbreaking it can be in the mundanity of life — and the performance by Gena Rowlands is out of this world.”
Austin Butler’s favourite movies:
- East of Eden (Elia Kazan, 1955)
- Magnolia (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)
- Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
- Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
- A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
