Instead of talking about his film or himself, Butler spent most of the interview asking Rowden about her pet rabbit: “Is she super soft?” “Does she cuddle with you?” “Where does she sleep?”
Now, it’s not as though flirting on the red carpet is anything new. In recent years, numerous actors have made headlines for having flirty interactions with each other during their press tours: Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton, Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell — it’s kind of a thing. But Butler has proven that he doesn’t need a red carpet scene partner — he’ll flirt with literally anyone who speaks to him. And honestly, it’s kind of fascinating.
“My favourite thing I’ve noticed about Austin Butler recently is he just won’t answer an interviewer’s question but will instead ask them a series of questions so authentically making them seem like the most interesting person in the room it seems I have grown so fond of him,” wrote one fan.
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Matt Winkelmeyer
In fact, as another fan noted, people could learn a thing or two from Butler’s flirty interviews. “People who think they can’t flirt watch and learn, this is a MASTERCLASS from Austin Butler,” wrote one fan. “I’m not even that mad on him and I didn’t even benefit from his SUSTAINED eye contact but I am ON THE FLOOR.”
But while Butler’s recent interviews may seem like flirting masterclasses, there may be something deeper going on here. On fan on X suggested, “He’s not flirting he just doesn’t wanna be perceived so he perceives others,” linking to a section of a New York Times interview. In the interview, Butler explained that his piercing, unrelenting eye contact is, in fact, not a conscious flirting tactic, but rather a technique he learned in an acting class to help him get past his shyness. “If every time I feel attention on me, I start to feel like I’m imploding, then I just need to put my curiosity onto the other person,” he said in the interview.
Whether Butler’s steady, smouldering gaze is a shyness crutch or not, when combined with that husky Elvis voice (that simply will not go away), it’s certifiably lethal. Entertainment reporters: be careful out there, because Austin Butler absolutely will flirt with you!