For Austin Butler (31) things couldn't be better at the moment. He recently won a Golden Globe for his performance in "Elvis." The American now also has an Oscar nomination. However, the actor does not seem to have forgotten that he owes his success to a very specific person. In an interview with the "Los Angeles Times" he revealed that his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens (34) encouraged him to play Elvis Presley (1935-1977) in a film a few years ago.

"We had been together for so long and then she had this psychic moment. I really owe her a lot for believing in me," he told the newspaper. A few weeks ago, he spoke in The Hollywood Reporter's Actors Roundtable about a friend who encouraged him at the time. When asked by the "Los Angeles Times" whether it was his ex-partner, he replied: "That's correct, I was in a relationship at the time."

However, fans of the actor were sure before the interview that Butler was talking about Hudgens. In 2019, she told a story almost identical to Butler's statements from the Actors Roundtable format. "Last December we were driving together in the car and we heard Christmas music. Then suddenly an Elvis Presley Christmas carol played. [...] He sang along and I said, 'Honey, you have to play Elvis'," said the 34-year-old at the time on "Live with Kelly and Ryan".

Austin Butler and Vanessa Hudgens were a couple from 2011 to 2020. Butler is now in a relationship with model Kaia Gerber (21), Hudgens is dating baseball player Cole Tucker (26).