SchoolSurvivalGuide. Fromthere,he
metrenownedmanagerPatCutler,who
immediatelyofferedtorepresenthim.
Convincedhecouldmakea goofacting,
Austin’sparentsallowedhimtoleave
schoolandfitinhomeschoolingaround
hisworkschedule.‘I thinkit’simportant
tohavea dreamandtofollowyourheart,’
theactorsaysofhisall-inapproachto
makinga careeroutofacting.
Thefresh-facedstarsoonbecamea
regularontheDisneyandNickelodeon
circuit,appearingoppositeMileyCyrusin
HannahMontanaandlandinga recurring
roleinkids’favouriteZoey 101. Healso
appearedinTheCW ’sLifeUnexpected.
In2010,Austinscoredthemaleleadin
thefilmSharpay’sFabulousAdventure, a
spin-offofDisney’sHighSchoolMusical
franchise.It wasserendipity,then,that
HSMwastheveryseriesthatmade
VanessaHudgens,30,a star...CALLTHEM‘VAUSTIN’
AlthoughAustinandVanessahavebeen
togetherforeightyears,theirfriendship
datesbackto 2005 whenVanessahadjust
begundancingaroundtheauditoriumin
theoriginalHighSchoolMusicalfilm.
Accordingtoreports,thepairmetonthe
HSMset– whereAustinwasanoccasional
extra– whilesheandZacEfronwerethe
teen#couplegoalsdominatinggossipsites.FollowinghersplitwithZacsometime
later,VanessabegandatingAustinin2011.
Somehow,thecouplehasmanagedto
dodgeanyscandalintheiralmost
decade-longromance,optingfora night
inwithpizzaovera booze-fuellednight
onthetiles.‘We’vealwayshadeach
other’sback,’Vanessa’s
said.‘It’snice.Weboth
respect,trustand
admireeachother.’
Forhispart,Austin
saysthesecretto
keepingtheir
relationshipaliveis
thathealwaysputs
Vanessafirst.‘Ifyou’re
constantlylooking
forwaysthatyoucan
make[yourotherhalf ]
happy,andthey’reconstantlylookingfor
waysthattheycanmakeyouhappy,then
youkindoflifteachotherupasmuchas
possibleandyoucan’tgowrong.’Nowthat
soundslikea recipeformutualsuccess!HERECOMESTHEKING
Asfarasbigcareerbreaksgo,theydon’t
getmuchbiggerthanplayingElvisPresley
ina BazLuhrmannbiopic.Austinbeat
famouscontenderssuchasHarryStyles,
MilesTeller,AnselElgortandAaron
Taylor-Johnsonfortheleadrole.WHERE
HAVE I
SEEN HIS
FACE?
The film will follow Elvis’ early
years and his epic climb to
stardom, as well as his relationship
with his long-time manager
Colonel Tom Parker (played by
Tom Hanks). The movie is slated
for release on October1, 2021.
Of Austin’s
casting, Baz
has said, ‘I knew
I couldn’t make
this film if the
casting wasn’t
absolutely
right, and
we searched
thoroughly
for an actor
with the
ability to evoke
thesingularnatural movement
andvocalqualitiesof this peerless star,
butalsotheinnervulnerability of the
artist.I knewunequivocally that I’d
foundsomeonewho could embody the
spiritofoneoftheworld’s most iconic
musicalfigures.’
WhilewereckonAustin was pretty
thrilledtobagtherole, his excitement
mayhavebeeneclipsed by Vanessa’s, who
tooktoInstagramto gush, ‘I’m over the
f---ingmoon.Soproud of my honey!’ It’s
thestartofsomething new, girlfriend!Notmanypeopleget
totellBradPitt,‘I’m
asrealasa doughnut,
motherf---er.’But
Austindid,playing
Texinoneofthemost
anticipatedfilmsof
theyear,OnceUpon
a TimeinHollywood.
Priortothat,hewas
MrBigbeforethere
wasa MrBig,playing
teenCarrieBradshaw’s
dotingboyfriend
SebastianKyddin
TheCarrieDiaries.Ruby & the Rockits
(2009)Switched at Birth
(2011)Aliens in the Attic
(2009)Life Unexpecte
(2010)Sharpay’s Fabulous
Adventure (2011)The Carrie
Diaries (2013)THEY’RE THINKING
OF A DESTINATION
WEDDING – MAYBE
THE BAHAMAS
44 WWW.OKMAGAZINE.COM.AUTEXT BY KERRIE SIMON-LAWRENCE
SPOTLIGHT