Austin Butler forgot to set his alarm Tuesday morning.
An incessant stream of phone calls and urgent texts from his publicist and agent finally woke him from his reverie to deliver the news that the actor had garnered his first best actor Oscar nomination for his Golden Globe-winning portrayal of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” biopic.
“I was trying to process it and trying to figure out if I was dreaming or not,” Butler tells USA TODAY. Minutes later, when he was doing a remote interview on “Good Morning America,” reality sunk in.
Joy immediately mixed with sorrow, as the 31-year-old actor’s career milestone had to be squared with the tragedy of Lisa Marie Presley’s shocking death two weeks ago, which brought Butler and Luhrmann to Graceland for a mournful memorial service for Elvis’ only child.
“It’s been a roller coaster these last couple of weeks, really high highs and these deep valleys of sorrow,” says Butler. “A moment like this, it feels joyous but it also feels bittersweet, because I just wish Lisa Marie was here to celebrate with us right now.
“But, you know, it’s the same way I feel about my mom,” adds Butler, whose mother died from cancer when he was 23, the same age Elvis lost his mother Gladys. “Days like today, you try and sit with the feeling of honoring them.”
Butler spent years preparing for his role of Elvis Presley in a production delayed repeatedly by pandemic lockdown and co-star Tom Hanks’ early COVID diagnosis.
Now, he finds himself in the elite best actor category with fellow first-time nominees Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”), Bill Nighy (“Living”) and Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”).
Butler says he’s seen all of those movies, and also particularly admired “All Quiet on the Western Front,” which garnered nine Oscar nominations, as did “Banshees.” Both were second to the 11 nominations raked in by Michelle Yeoh multiverse-hopping “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Might winning the best actor Oscar be another way to pay tribute to Lisa Marie?
“I’m so humbled and feel so privileged to be listed in the great actors in this category,” says Butler. Winning would be “a beautiful way” of honoring her, but “just going on this journey at all has been the biggest privilege of my life.”
