Austin Butler Talks about His New Series
Ruby and the Rockits Adds Singing to His Accomplishments
In Ruby and the Rockits Austin Butler plays the son of Patrick Cassidy. The show is an old-fashioned sitcom which includes music and some dancing.
Auditioning With a Song
“When my manager told me about (the audition) I didn't want to go in because I didn't sing, and they wanted me to sing. And so I was like, ‘Let's see how this is going to go.’ My manager convinced me to go, and I went, and they thought I was all right. So (I) went through all the auditions. And I didn't really know Shaun or David (Cassidy) by just looking at them, and my mom of course went crazy when she heard that I was going to be there.” He was excited to talk about his life with the press during a recent set visit.
Even though young Austin didn’t sing before, he is making up for it now. “And so I went in there, and I did the (son), and I remember seeing David and Shaun. And I kind of knew Shaun because I had looked on You Tube videos, trying to see him, and I saw him performing at the Grammies in tight, white pants and stuff. And then David, I remember him laughing at my song because I picked this really emo song on purpose, because that's kind of how my character is. So I picked this Death Cab for Cutie song that was really emotional. It was fun.”
Austin might be new to singing, but he is not new to the guitar. “I've been playing for about four, five years.”
The Rise of a New Teen Idol
In his heyday, David Cassidy was mobbed by fans, and a few years later his brother Shaun experienced the same phenomenon. Now that is beginning to happen with Austin Butler. While in Disneyland, there were about sixty young girls following him around. He is excited about his fame, but hasn’t come to terms with it yet.
“I'm not used to it, for sure. And it's not as bad as I think—I mean, not that it's a bad thing, at all. It's a great thing. But it's not as excessive as Shaun's and (David’s experiences.)” He says when he goes out someone will recognize him, then another. “And then once one person starts, then it grows into this crazy thing. And so it was really a surreal experience to have all these groups of people there. It was just insane.”
Because Shaun and David Cassidy have had experiences with excessive fans and with coping with fame at a young age, Austin quips, “They really want to give me a lot of advice, and Shaun says to take his advice and David says to take his advice. But supposedly David was the crazier of the two. So Shaun I guess is more mature in that aspect. He handled himself better. Patrick says the same. But they've kind of warned me that if it gets too crazy that I should definitely ask them for their advice.”
Working with Co-Stars Alexa Vega and Kurt Doss
Alexa Vega costars on the series, and Butler admits he’s in awe of her. “I remember seeing Spy Kids and I loved that movie. And when I saw her at the audition, I did not know it was her, because she looks completely different. I haven't watched many of her other movies, but I remember loving Spy Kids. And she's so great. I mean, she's awesome.”
He adds, “She's just wonderful. I mean, she's so cool to hang out with. She introduced me to sushi—but now I can't order for myself. She has to order for me, because she knows exactly what to order. So yeah, she's great. She's great to hang out with.”
He also says that his younger co-star, Kurt Doss “has gotten into the mood of wanting to prank me like crazy. It's all he wants to do. And so he's warning me constantly, ‘I'm going to get you. I'm going to get you.’” Austin keeps his eyes and ears on alert when he is on the set. With Kurt, he never knows what will happen from the young prankster.
As for his music career, Austin admits he would love to make a CD sometime. He now plays the piano, guitar and sings and music is something he loves. When it was suggested that he record David Cassidy’s hit I Think I Love You, Butler exclaims, “Oh my gosh, that's such a good song. I really love that song. And Da Doo Run Run,” which was a Shaun Cassidy hit song. “I had heard that on You Tube, and when I went to my audition, I joked with Shaun, I said, ‘Okay, so I'm going to sing Da Doo Run Run, and you're going to accompany me."
Fans can keep up with this young star via Twitter at austin_butler.
Ruby and the Rockits airs Tuesdays on ABC Family.
Click here for more about Shaun Cassidy and Ruby and the Rockits.
Click here for more about the show.
Austin Butler Co-Stars on Ruby and the Rockits
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