Austin Butler reveals advice from Laura Dern that changed his life
Actor Austin Butler, known for a demanding method acting technique that once left him hospitalised, has revealed that Laura Dern is helping him on his journey towards balance.
In a new interview with Men’s Health, Butler opened up about his tumultuous experience in the industry thus far. His obsessive commitment to method acting saw three years of his life dedicated to copying Elvis Presley, and resulted in his hospitalisation after filming finished. His body shut down due to over-exertion.
After this, meeting Dern felt like fate for the star. He recalled their random meeting: “It was like the whole room just quieted, and we connected on a soul level. We felt like kindred spirits… My mom was even told that she looked like Laura Dern, and so as soon as I see her, it’s like: She looks like my actual mom.”
Dern has helped Butler explore his “shadow self” in a safe and controlled way. He revealed in the interview, “She’s helping me more and more to see that you can come out the other side, and maybe bits of you have healed, and synthesized, and metabolized. It can be therapeutic, in a way.”
Butler didn’t just take advice from Dern. He also revealed in the new interview that he would often follow in the footsteps of Hollywood friend and The Bikeriders co-star Tom Hardy.
Hardy uses physical exercise to help get through the tough demands of the industry. “After shooting all night, Hardy would go home, put on a weighted vest, and do 1,000 box jumps.” Butler discussed of Hardy’s strategy to beat insomnia. “I’m just trying to find little things like that.”
Dern recently starred alongside Liam Hemsworth in the new Netflix romance movie, Lonely Planet.
Butler’s latest upcoming role sees him star opposite Zoe Kravitz in Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing. The film will hit cinemas on August 29th.
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