Austin Butler has been open about his mental health, and he revealed his coping strategies after an intense workload.
While promoting his latest film, “Caught Stealing,” he told Extra on August 27, “After this press tour, Iâm going to turn my phone off and Iâm going to disappear. I find that thatâs very, very good for the brain.”
He continued, “Just get away from the noise, you know? Spend some time in nature … Be of service. That’s something that I think about a lot.”
Butler gave examples of helping out a friend or loved one, making sure to acknowledge his close friendship with his fellow actor, Laura Dern.
“Sheâs the greatest. I love her so much. My own mother used to be told that she looks like Laura Dern. Laura and I have a very special relationship,” he said.
Dern Looked Out For Butler’s Well-Being
GettyWhile Butler and Dern have never worked together as of yet, the two met at an industry event, and the “Big Little Lies” star took him under her wing.
“It was like the whole room just quieted, and we connected on a soul level. We felt like kindred spirits,” Butler told Men’s Health.
He shared the advice she gave him when he took on roles that were too heavy, and that he didn’t have to lose himself.
“Sheâs helping me more and more to see that you can come out the other side, and maybe bits of you have healed, and synthesized, and metabolized. It can be therapeutic, in a way,” he said.
Butler Bravely Recalled How His Mom’s Passing Affected Him
Butler sadly lost his mom, Lori, to cancer in 2014, and he opened up to The Times in 2023 about how he found solace after her death.
He recalled her struggling with her mental health earlier on and asking her to jot down anything she was happy about.
Upon her death, Butler found several journals with “thousands of gratitudes.” Some were as simple as being thankful for olive oil.
He told The Times, “It was so moving. I canât express what it meant to me. I didnât know she had kept it up for years. Suddenly, her mind was open to all the beautiful things that were happening.”
When Butler went through his own emotional ups and downs after starring in “Elvis,” his co-star Tom Hanks gave him valuable advice.
“You have immersed yourself so deeply in ‘Elvis’ that, for your mental health, it would be wise to go straight into something else. If you just jump off the train, you might have emotional whiplash,” Hanks said before offering him a role in “Masters of the Air.”
Butler shared, “Itâs what I realized doing ‘Elvis’ â that forced me to go to the very edge of what is possible, and not every experience will be like that.”
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