Austin Butler nearly gave up acting after mom’s death

13 January 2023

Austin Butler questioned whether being an actor was “noble” after his mom died.

Austin Butler cried every night after his mother’s death

The ‘Elvis’ star’s beloved mother Lori died in 2014 of cancer at the age of 50, and the 31-year-old actor recalled how he contemplated giving up his passion to help those suffering from the deadly disease.

Austin recalled breaking down in tears every night after her passing while working in New Zealand.

In a roundtable interview for The Hollywood Reporter, Austin recalled: “After my mom passed away, I’d never experienced pain like that before, and I started to question. Suddenly I was around doctors and people that were hurting a lot in hospitals, and I thought, ‘Is acting a noble profession? Should I be doing this or should I give myself in some way that can help people who are dealing with cancer or something like that?’ After my mom passed away, I went straight to New Zealand to start shooting a young adult TV show.

“A lot of people enjoyed the show, and I had fun doing horseback riding and that sort of thing, but I’d go home and cry every night. I was dealing with grief, but it was also this feeling that I wasn’t aligned with something that felt truly fulfilling. I got done with that show, once they cancelled it after two seasons, and I said, ‘I would rather not work as an actor than ever do something like that again.'”

Austin recently remembered his late mother as part of his ‘Saturday Night Live’ opening monologue.

The former Disney star wondered how “proud” she would be that he was hosting the high-profile television show after being so shy as a child, while he dedicated his “funny” faces and “silly voices” to her.

He said: “My mom is no longer with us. But I’ve been thinking about her a lot this week, just imagining how proud that her. just imagining how proud she’d be of her son who used to not be able to order food for myself at a restaurant is now standing on this stage. And tonight, just know that anytime you see me doing a silly voice or making a funny face, that’s for you, mom!”