Austin Butler Keeps Making Fans Cringe With His Elvis Voice

On Tuesday evening, the 31-year-old's performance as Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's biopic won him the award for "Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama" at the 2023 Golden Globes, which he accepted in a heartfelt speech thanking the cast, the crew and the Presley family for their support. However, it wasn't Butler's words that had everyone talking, but rather the way he delivered them, seeing as how it was almost identical to his character's signature Southern accent.

After all, Butler has spent the past several months making headlines for his in-depth acting approach, which included painstaking amounts of research and not seeing his family for three years. That said, fans have been mostly concerned with the Disney alum's refusal to drop the Elvis accent since finishing the film, which many Golden Globes viewers found super awkward to watch. And the way they dealt with? With jokes, of course.

"You know when your parents say not to cross your eyes because you could get stuck like that? Austin Butler is the vocal version of that," as one Twitter user wrote, before another said, "Have we checked on the hypnotist that’s holding Austin Butler in a perpetual Elvis voice trance?"

You know when your parents say not to cross your eyes because you could get stuck like that? Austin Butler is the vocal version of that.

— Chris Schleicher (@cschleichsrun) January 11, 2023

Have we checked on the hypnotist that’s holding Austin Butler in a perpetual Elvis voice trance? #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/rcD4caT30w

— Radhika H. ☃️ (@radicalxrad) January 11, 2023

Not only that, but there were also a bunch of people who were openly annoyed with what they believe is the Butler's ongoing schtick, as evidenced by several viral posts featuring irritated reaction GIFs and old clips of the actor talking, with a pretty standard Southern Californian accent.

austin butler still talking in that god damn Elvis voice…
pic.twitter.com/RAYHOZkDXc

— kevy (@bloominonionbby) January 11, 2023

Austin Butler has one more chance to shut the Elvis voice off I swear to god #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/DP0p8bmIJi

— Gianni Raisins (@BGaytion) January 11, 2023

AUSTIN BUTLER ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WE KNOW WHAT YOU SOUND LIKE pic.twitter.com/TtjHHz4KN3

— Oluwajomiloju (@JomiAdeniran) January 11, 2023

Granted, Butler doesn't seem to understand the fake accent accusations, as he later responded to the hubbub by saying he "didn't even think about" the voice he used.

"I don't think I sound like him still, but I guess I must, because I hear it all the time," he said during a backstage interview.

"I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time," Butler continued. "I had three years where that was my only focus, so I'm sure there's pieces of him in my DNA and I will always be linked to him."

Photo via Getty / Michael Kovac