Who is Elvis star Austin Butler and who is his girlfriend?-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Everyone’s talking about Austin Butler, star of Elvis, and his romance with Kaia Gerber… (Picture: Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue )

Taking on the role of Elvis Presley is a daunting task but Austin Butler is on top of the world right now.

The 30-year-old actor is making waves in Hollywood with the title role in Baz Luhrmann’s highly anticipated biopic Elvis.

The movie is set for UK release on June 24, a month after it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival – where Austin’s PDA-packed appearance with girlfriend Kaia Gerber also got people chatting.

His performances have left even the late King of Rock and Roll’s ex-wife Priscilla Presley moved, and she’s been full of praise for his portrayal of the Suspicious Minds legend.

But what else do you need to know? We’ve got you covered!

Who is Austin Butler?

Austin was born and raised in Orange County, California and rose to fame in Disney, CW and Nickelodeon shows including Hannah Montana and The Wizards of Waverly Place after starting out as an extra.

Other early roles included a part in Zoey 101, playing Jamie Lynn Spears’ title character’s love interest James Garrett, and in High School Musical spin-off Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure opposite Ashley Tisdale.

He went onto star opposite Denzel Washington on stage in The Iceman Cometh back in 2018, and the following year he played Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time… In Hollywood.

When he first met Luhrmann during auditions for Elvis, the director was blown away by Austin – who also plays guitar and piano – and has since said: ‘He had a hint of the swagger, a touch of the sound.’

Butler’s been acting for more than a decade – but Elvis is no doubt his big breakthrough (Picture: David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)

Who is his girlfriend Kaia Gerber?

Austin Butler and Kaia Gerber, 20, put on a PDA-heavy display at the Elvis premiere this week during Cannes Film Festival as they snogged each other’s faces off on the red carpet.

The loved-up couple were first linked in December last year, and they stepped out together for the first time back in March after a trip to Paris and a romantic Valentine’s Day.

She split from ex Jacob Elordi in November 2021, while Austin was with Vanessa Hudgens for eight years before their split in 2020.

Austin and Kaia made a splash at Cannes (Picture: Cover Images)

Kaia is from famous stock as the daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber (Picture: Stephane Cardinale / Corbis via Getty Images)

Model Kaia has famous parents, as she’s the daughter of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber.

She’s walked for everyone from Burberry, Prada and Stella McCartney to Alexander McQueen, Valentino and Versace, as well as posing for the cover of the likes of Vogue, The Love Magazine and more.

Reflecting on a work/life balance, she recently said: ‘It’s so important people are realising how important their happiness is outside of work, when you don’t have all these outside resources to gain happiness from, where that internal happiness comes from.’

What is Elvis about?

Butler has blown critics away with his portrayal of The King, Elvis Presley (Picture: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

The biopic covers Elvis’ roller coaster life, with plenty of focus on his relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker, who is played by Tom Hanks.

As well as learning how to sing, talk and dance like Presley, Austin even put the work in to nail the Southern accent.

Luhrmann told GQ: ‘I don’t think, until recently, I actually came to understand how Austin actually sounded.’

Elvis is in cinemas across the UK from June 24.

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