Before Austin Butler received an Oscar nomination for 'Elvis,' he was up for another notable role in 'The Hunger Games.'
Austin Butler volunteered as tribute! The 32-year-old Elvis star recently revealed that he was eager to join The Hunger Games cast, alongside Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, who played Katniss Everdeen.
"I auditioned for The Hunger Games, and I didn't get it at all," the Dune: Part Two star revealed in a recent BuzzFeed Celeb interview. "I don't think I got a callback. What's the character? Peeta? Josh Hutcherson got that, he's great."
Hutcherson played tribute Peeta Mellark, the former baker with a heart of gold who falls for Katniss, in all four of The Hunger Games films from 2012 to 2015.
Hutcherson played opposite Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth, who played Katniss' other love interest, Gale Hawthorne.
Butler wasn't the only top actor to miss out on a role in the mega franchise. It was previously revealed that Saoirse Ronan, Hailee Steinfeld, Shailene Woodley and Emma Roberts auditioned for Katniss.
Evan Peters and Hunter Parrish also went out for the role of Peeta.
Though it's been nearly a decade since The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 hit theaters, the fandom lives on with the prequel film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes being released in 2023.
In January, Hutcherson spoke with ET about the "Whistle" edit video of Peeta.
"I love it. It's great," Hutcherson joked of the 2014 YouTube video, which has amassed over 14 million views to date. "Somebody said it became, like, the new Rickroll... I'm like, this is just wild and I don't know why."
Butler also recently spoke to ET about another future role he might be interested in. After reports emerged in May that he will star in a Heat sequel as Chris Shiherlis, the role originally played by 64-year-old Kilmer in the first movie, he shared that he would be delighted to work with Michael Mann, Heat's original director, on the long-awaited sequel to the 1995 film.
"Well, I love Michael Mann," Butler told ET, keeping tightlipped about the rumors. "I have a canned answer that I've been saying for this, just, yeah I love Michael Mann, I love the first film, I love Val Kilmer. Yeah, it's -- he's an incredible filmmaker."
Butler also recently spoke about his interest in appearing in a Pirates of the Caribbean reboot. Watch the exclusive interview below for more:
RELATED CONTENT:
