Austin Butler Reveals One Major Movie Role He Auditioned For And Didn't Get

Actor Austin Butler has revealed one of the major movie roles he auditioned for but didn't land. Speaking to BuzzFeed, the Oscar-nominated Elvis actor said he tried out for the role of Peeta in The Hunger Games, a part that ultimately went to Josh Hutcherson. Butler said he didn't get far at all in the casting process.

"I auditioned for The Hunger Games, and I didn't get it at all. I don't think I got a callback," he said (via Entertainment Weekly).

Butler went on to say that Hutcherson turned in a "great" performance as Peeta in the film series. The original Hunger Games came out in 2012, and Hutcherson was cast in the role when he was only 18. Sequels Catching Fire (2013) and Mockingjay Part 1 (2014) and Mockingjay Part 2 (2015) followed. A prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, came out in 2023, and the next movie, Sunrise on the Reaping, is coming in 2026.

Other actors who auditioned for Peeta include Evan Peters, Hunter Parrish, and Lucas Till.

When The Hunger Games came out, Butler had already starred on Hannah Montana and Switched at Birth. His career really took off around 2019 when Butler played Tex Watson in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, before he earned an Oscar nomination for playing Elvis in the 2022 Baz Luhrmann biopic.

So far in 2024, Butler has starred in Apple's World War II series Masters of the Air and Dune: Part II. His newest film was this month's The Bikeriders. Among other projects, Butler is reportedly set to star in the highly anticipated upcoming Heat remake.