At only 34, Austin Butler has already snagged some pretty iconic movie roles, including as Feyd-Rautha in "Dune" and playing the titular character in the 2022 musical "Elvis."
Butler has built a reputation in the industry for giving his all to the character he's playing, from training with a Navy SEAL to intensely studying Elvis' voice to get it just right.
But is there such a thing as taking method acting too far? Some social media users think so after Austin Butler revealed that he went to extreme lengths to connect with the latest character he played in the movie "Caught Stealing," which is scheduled to release in theatres in late August 2025.
Austin Butler Admits He Slept On Movie Set In His Underwear, Upsetting Some Social Media Users
For those unfamiliar, Butler is extremely committed to his art. In a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the "Switched at Birth" star revealed that in preparation for playing Elvis, he hired a vocal coach to help ensure his voice was "identical" to that of the rock star.
"I watched as much [footage of Elvis' concerts] as I could, over and over. I feel such a responsibility to Elvis and to Priscilla and Lisa Marie, and all the people around the world who love him so much," he said.
Deeply connecting with the character is par for the course for Butler, considering that for his new film, he told Variety that he actually slept on the set that was his New York City apartment in the movie, which also stars Regina King and Zoe Kravitz.
According to Butler, he spent one night alone on the movie set, playing music, dancing, and eating Chinese food. He slept through the night; however, he suffered an embarrassing moment when he was awoken by the film's crew, who found him in his underwear.
Social Media Rips Butler For Being Extra
Butler might be one of the only ones who found the situation amusing, though.
On Reddit, a plethora of users flocked to a specific thread, blasting the actor for being what they believe is inauthentic.
"File this under 'things that he probably thinks make him sound committed to the character, but actually, as someone who works in film/tv, makes him sound like a tremendous pain in the crew's collective a-s,'" a user wrote.
"This dude is just f-cking weird," another commented.
A third user wrote, "Insufferable. It's the sort of actor whose phone stops ringing the moment he stops being a box office draw."
Austin Butler Slept On Set For A Specific Reason
Despite the public's opinion on the matter, Butler revealed that he had a specific purpose for sleeping on the set, explaining that it helped him connect with the role on a deeper level.
"There are many things that conspire against you when you're making a movie. You've got the lights and the camera, and the set doesn't have a ceiling, because they've got to light it from above. It's tempting to look around and break the illusion. So the more I can do to trick myself, the more important it is," he said.
Austin Butler Was 'Scared' To Play Hank In 'Caught Stealing'
In his new movie, "Caught Stealing," Butler plays Hank, a former baseball player turned bartender who gets involved with the New York City crime life. The film is unlike his previous works, especially because he's playing a character that—despite his crime background—closely resembles himself.
However, Butler said that accepting this role was quite frightening for him, as he had begun acting as a way to escape his reality as a child. He explained that being able to portray different characters has allowed him to feel "free."
Playing a character much like himself, though, left Butler with "nowhere to hide and made me feel vulnerable," he admitted.
He Saved MLB Butts On His Phone
In a previous report from The Blast, while promoting his new film, which Darren Aronofsky directed, Butler got candid about more of the behind-the-scenes work that went into preparing for his role in "Caught Stealing."
In addition to working with popular trainer Beth Lewis to achieve his desired physique, the "Hannah Montana" alum also intensely studied the backsides of professional baseball players for motivation and inspiration.
"I actually have a whole section of just baseball players' a-sses that [Aronofsky] would send me," Butler joked. "He was like, 'Look how thick they are!'"