Austin Butler disclosed he didn't see his family for years while filming for 'Elvis'

Austin Butler revealed not seeing his family for years due to his starring role in Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis." In an interview with Variety Sunday, the 31-year-old admitted, "During ‘Elvis,’ I didn’t see my family for about three years. I was prepping with Baz, and then I went to Australia [to film]. I had months where I wouldn’t talk to anybody. And when I did, the only thing I was ever thinking about was Elvis. I was speaking in his voice the whole time.” Furthermore, Butler, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in ‘Elvis,’ shot the film Down Under during the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides, it would have been quite challenging for him to go back to the US to visit his family in California given Australia's stringent lockdown regulations. However, the Hollywood hottie told Variety that he had no regrets and that sometimes making tremendous sacrifices is "what it takes" to make a successful film. Moreover, Austin Butler has already discussed how difficult it was to film "Elvis" in many interviews. He admitted in an interview earlier this year that he left the set "in tears" after director Baz Luhrmann urged other studio heads to jeer him while he was singing so that he could come "as close to performing as possible.” [caption id="attachment_71282" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Austin Butler | Image: Marc Piasecki[/caption] Butler revealed, "He [Luhrmann] brought them into the recording studio. He goes, ‘I want you all to sit facing Austin,’ and he told them to heckle me. So then they were making fun of me and stuff while I was singing.” However, he also defended the director's decision: "When we were filming this moment, when Elvis first goes onstage and he’s getting heckled by the audience, I knew what that felt like … I went home in tears that night. I really did.” Also Read: Coco Austin says she can be "sexy" and "still be a mother"

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The handsome blonde, meanwhile, admitted to Variety that the whole "Elvis" experience has eventually helped him step outside of his comfort zone. He stated, "I’ve only had a couple of moments before filming ‘Elvis’ where I danced in public because I was very, very shy. I’d always be a wallflower at a party. I didn’t sing ever. I’m a very shy person, so I didn’t sing at all.”