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Austin Butlerholds enormous respect forDenzel Washington, an actor theElvisstar considers “the godfather of acting.”
In a new feature interview withBackstagemagazine published Wednesday, Butler, 31, said that working with Washington, 68, on the 2018 Broadway production of Eugene O’Neill’sThe Iceman Cometh"changed my perception of myself and my abilities."
“Something Denzel told me is: There is no stage acting or film acting; there is the truth,” Butler told the outlet, which noted theElvisstar “frequently returns” to lessons he learned while working with Washington.
“Human beings do really broad things in everyday life,” Butler continued in the interview as he spoke of the veteran actor’s advice. “Sometimes, they do very subtle things. You can do either onstage or onscreen.”
“That freed me up to realize [that] all of the things I was learning onstage—I could take them back into film,” he added of the experience.
Elsewhere in the interview, Butler recalled how he doubted he would even land his role inThe Iceman Comethin the first place.
Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
“I thought, I’m an L.A. actor; they’re not going to cast me,” he toldBackstage. “I’d been told before that there’s this divide: That’s New York—they’re not going to look at you or respect you.”
Butlerpreviously praised Washingtonat theGolden Globe Awardslast Tuesday as he accepted the award for best actor in a drama movie for directorBaz Luhrmann’sElvis Presleybiopic.
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“Also, I gotta thank Denzel Washington,” the star said during his speech. “Denzel, thank you for your kindness, thank you for your generosity and championing me when you did not have to.”
“I am so grateful for all eternity to you,” Butler added.
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In a May 2022 interview withEntertainment Weekly, Luhrmann, 60, said that Washington cold-called him shortly after he first encountered a video of Butler performing a cover of Presley’s “Unchained Melody.”
“I did not know Denzel,” Luhrmann clarified of the call to the outlet. “And he said, ‘I’ve just worked with this guy on stage. I’ve never seen a work ethic like it.’ "
Luhrmann also recalled the conversation with Washington in a panel conversation about the movie withSiriusXMin June 2022.
" ‘You’re about to meet an actor I’ve been on stage with,’ " the director recalled of Washington’s pitch for Butler at the time. " ‘You will not believe this young man’s work ethic, there is just no minute he won’t give to the art.’ "
source: people.com
