Austin Butler Breaks His Silence On Split With Vanessa Hudgens

Austin Butler underwent considerable change in the last few years. For starters, the "Switched at Birth" star spent nearly three years submerged in Elvis Presley's world to prepare for the upcoming biopic "Elvis," set to hit theaters in June, Collider noted. While Butler has been around for quite some time, having starred in major Hollywood productions like Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" as the Charles Manson follower Tex Watson, he is expected to have his breakthrough with his portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll, Collider predicts.

During the time he was filming Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis," Butler also experienced major change in his personal life. In January 2020, Butler and Vanessa Hudgens broke up after nine years together, E! News reported. At the time, Butler had just started working on the biopic, while Hudgens was in Scotland shooting "The Princess Switch 2," according to Distractify. Butler and the "High School Musical" alum first sparked romance rumors in September 2011, about a year after Hudgens split from Zac Efron, according to People.

As their careers became more demanding, the actors had to spend more and more time apart. For a while, they made it work. In March 2017, Hudgens shared a photo of the two kissing to Instagram to note how difficult it was to be apart. "Missing this guy," she wrote, adding the hashtag "Long Distance Sucks." Since their split, both have avoided talking about the relationship. In a recent profile, however, Butler broke his silence.

Austin Butler emphasized the need to embrace change and evolve

In his May 25 profile on GQ magazine, Austin Butler proved he has no interest in airing the dirty laundry from his breakup with Vanessa Hudgens. Instead, he expressed how he feels about the end of the relationship in general terms. "Life is full of changes, and you've got to find a way to constantly be evolving and growing," he said. Remaining polite, he declined to delve any deeper.

While Butler and Hudgens have kept the details of their relationship and breakup private, sources alluded that work and distance were the main culprits, E! News reported in January 2020. But despite going their separate ways, the actors remained amicable. "There is no bad blood at all, and they have a lot of respect for each other," the insider added. The GQ interview also showed he doesn't just long for privacy when it comes to his exes.

Butler has no desire to address what he has with Kaia Gerber either. "I don't think there's anything I want to share about that," he said. "But thank you for providing the space." While they opted to keep their speculated relationship on the down-low, Butler and Gerber seemingly confirmed their romance earlier in May when the two showed up together at the Met Gala, Teen Vogue noted. Butler and Gerber were first linked back in December, just a month after she confirmed her split from "Euphoria" star Jacob Elordi, Seventeen reported.