Vanessa Hudgens Reacts to Austin Butler’s “Elvis” Accent

Austin Butler’s ex Vanessa Hudgens has some thoughts about his Elvis Presley accent. Months after wrapping filming for his Golden Globe–winning turn as the King of Rock in “Elvis,” Butler is still channeling the late legend with his voice. Recently, the actor’s voice coach came to his defense during an interview with Australia’s ABC Gold Coast, calling the change “genuine.” However, that hasn’t slowed down the memes about Butler’s accent.

On Jan. 20, Hudgens responded to an Instagram slideshow of memes about the evolution of her ex’s voice since he starred in “Elvis.” The “Princess Switch” star commented on the post, “Crying.”

Butler and Hudgens were together from 2011 to 2020, so the 34-year-old is certainly familiar with his pre-“Elvis” voice. A source previously told E! News that distance was to blame for the couple’s split. When the news of their breakup broke in January 2020, Hudgens was busy filming “The Princess Switch: Switched Again,” while Butler was in Australia working on “Elvis.”

In May 2022, the Golden Globe–winner offered a cryptic response to a question about their breakup during an interview with GQ Hype. “Life is full of changes,” he said. “And you’ve got to find a way to constantly be evolving and growing.”

For his part, Butler has maintained that he doesn’t hear as much Presley in his accent as everyone else does. After his Golden Globe win, he told Variety that he hasn’t noticed a lasting change to the sound of his voice. “I don’t think I sound like him still, but I guess [it must be] because I hear it a lot,” he said.

Butler continued, “I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time. I had three years where [Elvis] was my only focus in life, so I’m sure there’s just pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way.”