Austin Butler lets truth out about ex-Vanessa Hudgens

Austin Butler referred to Vanessa Hudgens as a friend when he opened up about who suggested him to do Elvis last year. The reference triggered a controversy about him not crediting her ex-girlfriend. Now, the actor is coming out clean about the issue.

In a chat with Esquire, the Dune star said, "Oh, yeah, I learned a lesson with that one—I felt that I was respecting her privacy in a way and not wanting to bring up a ton of things that would cause her to have to talk."

Adding, "I have so much love and care for her. It was in no way trying to erase anything."

The clarification comes after Austin told Hollywood Reporter's Actors Roundtable last year that his friend suggested he should play Elvis after listening to him singing the pop icon's songs.

"I was going to look at Christmas lights with a friend," he shared. "And there was an Elvis Christmas song on the radio, and I was singing along, and my friend looked over at me and goes, 'You've got to play Elvis.'"

In the meantime, Austin and Vanessa had a strong bond as the pair dated for nearly a decade, from 2011 to 2020.