Austin Butler shook off his nerves and gave the rendition of his life in his latest stint in a barnstorming performance as Elvis Presley.
The former Disney child star has taken his new role in his stride, and more importantly, with a curl of the lip and a swivel of the hip.
The star of Baz Luhrmann ’s biopic Elvis looks like the King of Rock and Rolland - and sound like him too.
And that’s all the more impressive given that Austin had only sung in front of one person before – his girlfriend - Cindy Crawford ’s supermodel daughter Kaia Gerber.
"Before this I was so shy. I would never sing in front of anybody," he said. "I would maybe sing in front of my girlfriend, but that was it.
"I felt an incredible amount of pressure," he added. "You feel a responsibility and a desire to do Elvis and everybody who loves him justice."
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Previously, Austin was in a long-term relationship with a fan favourite High School Musical star after they crossed paths on set.
According to the Daily Mail, Vanessa Hudgens - otherwise recognised as Gabriella Montez - first locked eyes with the actor in 2005.
At the time, sparks were flying between Vanessa and her co-star Zac Efron - who she dated for five years - before calling it quits in 2010.
Rumours of Austin and Vanessa dating were initially speculated in September 2011.
However, the duo didn't go public with their relationship until the following January - after the couple locked lips while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game.
The couple had a star-studded romance for almost a decade and were frequently spotted on red carpets supporting one another.
In 2018, Vanessa even opened up about possibly getting engaged to her beau.
She told Women's Health: "I want to get married, travel, then have kids — probably in my late 30s."
At a time when their peers were getting engaged, she revealed that she and Austin were happy to take their time.
"Everyone’s clock is different," she said.
"He inspires me more than anyone," she added. “We both respect, trust, and admire each other."
Fans were shocked when news broke of the couple's relationship in January 2020 - after nine years of dating.
"Vanessa and Austin are officially broken up, and Vanessa has been telling those close to her about their breakup," a source told US Weekly.
As reported by an E! News inside, the split ultimately came down to the star's busy schedules.
“They’re just shooting on two different continents and it’s a matter of distance,” the insider said.
“There is no bad blood at all, and they have a lot of respect for each other.”
At the time, Vanessa was busy in Europe filming The Princess Switch 2, while Austin was busy filming his iconic Elvis role.
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