The post-lockdown scaries are real, even for Hollywood actors (Picture: ABC/Warner Bros./Avalon)

Austin Butler has described the stress of coming out of lockdown in 2020 to face his role as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, and it’s quite extreme.

The actor, who began his career with the odd part on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon, was in Australia all ready to film Elvis when co-star Tom Hanks was struck with Covid in March 2020.

With the film halted for the foreseeable under force majeure, Austin spent his time obsessing over the nuances of portraying the King of Rock and Roll.

Chatting on Jimmy Kimmel Live, the 31-year-old actor recalled how at that time he plastered his walls with pictures of Elvis from different decades, and got a bit, er, obsessed. 

He said: ‘I had these compilations of his voice I would listen to every day, his laugh, different songs.’

The Canadian actor spent lockdown working with voice, movement and singing coaches, the latter of which he did mostly himself in the film.

‘And then once I was allowed to leave the apartment, you know, I would usually wake up every day around 3 or 4 in the morning with this terror,’ he said.

‘It was such a daunting thing. And I really just was guided by my terror really.’ 

Playing one of the world’s most famous stars is no small task (Picture: PA)

Austin recalled his obsessive preparations for the role in the middle of the first pandemic wave in 2020 (Picture: ABC)

The post-lockdown scaries are real after all – even for Hollywood actors.

Once he was allowed outside his apartment, Austin then spent his time walking up and down the beach for ‘hours’ laughing as Elvis to the horror of local surfers trying to catch a wave.

He said: ‘It looked like this man was just absolutely out of his mind. There were surfers looking at me going, ‘what’s happening?’ That was my life.’

Austin won best breakthrough performance by an actor at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala just last week for his portrayal of The King (Picture: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

The dedication to the part clearly paid off, as the 31-year-old is up for a Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture, drama category, for his efforts.

But the actor is staying humble, as he reflected on his roots and how he got to play The King.

He said: ‘I remember, being in Hollywood today, it made me think of how for so many years, I would drive up from Orange county with my mom and go to hundreds and hundreds of auditions, not book anything.

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‘Go to acting class, drive two hours back, and suddenly, to be sitting here with Jimmy Kimmel and going to the Golden Globes.’

Now that’s not a bad lockdown story.

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The post-lockdown scaries are real, even for Hollywood actors.