Austin Butler reveals nervous encounter with Ryan Gosling

The Oscar Nominee recalls meeting Gosling: "I couldn’t even say hello. Because I grew up admiring him so much."

Oscar-nominated actor Austin Butler recently appeared on the Today show, where he opened up about a nerve-wracking encounter with none other than Barbie star Ryan Gosling. 

Butler confessed that the unexpected meeting left him so starstruck that he couldn’t even muster a greeting.

“I was just telling a story yesterday about getting starstruck by Ryan Gosling recently. It’s when you don’t expect to see somebody — so I saw him outside of a hotel that I was staying in, and I had to go into another door,” Butler recalled. 

“I couldn’t even say hello. Because I grew up admiring him so much.” When host Savannah Guthrie reminded the Elvis actor of his own star status, Butler responded humbly, “I know. But that doesn’t feel real.”

Butler also recounted a recent star-studded party hosted by Paul McCartney, which he shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week. 

Among the A-list attendees were Taylor Swift, Tom Hanks, Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, and Ringo Starr. 

“Some people I know — Paul I’ve met a couple times. He’s so sweet,” Butler said. 

“I had never met Springsteen, so that was really… Those are those moments that you just, you can hardly fathom the amount of talent that’s surrounding you.”

Additionally, Guthrie highlighted Cher’s attendance at the Los Angeles premiere of Butler’s new movie, The Bikeriders, which premieres on June 21. 

“Yeah, she’s another person that I’d never met. What a legend,” he added.

Despite his extensive acting career and numerous credits, Butler remains deeply appreciative of his success. 

Reflecting on his journey, the Masters of the Air star shared, “I’ve been acting for 20 years, and you know, most of that time you just try to pay the rent and pay for gas, so right now I just feel very grateful.”