The actor and newly appointed YSL ambassador shares how scent inspires his craft.
Austin Butler used to steal his dad’s cologne.
It’s one of his first memories of fragrance, and a poignant one at that. In fact, there have been many olfactory memories that stand out to Austin throughout his
The California native experienced a meteoric rise to fame following his award-winning portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 musical biopic, Elvis.
Of course, there’s been other notable performances — including in One Upon A Time In Hollywood with heavyweights Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, in the first instalment of Dune alongside Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet (the sequel to which is hitting cinemas in 2024), and in December this year, he’ll star in Jeff Nichols’ The Bikeriders with Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy.
Off-screen, Austin made his debut as YSL Beauty’s newest global ambassador in late August, timed perfectly with the launch of the fashion and fragrance Maison’s latest olfaction — MYSLF.
It’s a busy life, but a good one. In amongst his pressing schedule as one of Hollywood’s brightest, Austin carves out time to spend with his model girlfriend Kaia Gerber, and their dog, Milo.
In this Viva exclusive, Austin shares how fragrance has helped him both get into character and connect with his roots, how he stays grounded in between film projects and the simple beauty rituals he follows.
When Yves Saint Laurent Beauty approached you to become ambassador for the new MYSLF fragrance, what was your reaction?
I felt honoured. Over the last few years, I’ve spoken with people who knew Monsieur Saint Laurent and I’ve learned more about what he represented and created. He broke through labels. Whether women’s fashion or men’s, he was a rebel, and I love that about him. My favourite quote of Monsieur Saint Laurent is: “I’ve understood that the most important encounter in life was the one with myself.”
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Advertise with NZME.Why does this quote resonate so deeply with you?
I was a very introverted child and acting has the energy of rebellion for me — when you’re able to let out these emotions that society asks you to not show. Acting allowed me to break through the shell that I had built up at a young age and repressed.
As an actor, you’re on a constant journey to find the truth of who you are as well as empathy for other human beings. I look for this in both the specificity and the universal qualities I see in others. When you’re able to dig into what really makes you tick and not hide from all the different aspects of yourself, it becomes more apparent how connected we all are.
When you got your hands on the fragrance, what stood out to you about the scent?
MYSLF is a bright, woody floral with notes of orange blossom that come through right away and then as it settles it gets warmer, and more of the woody notes end up surfacing. I think it’s beautiful the way the fragrance evolves on your skin from this energising citrus into a warm, rounded quality.
Orange blossom is the star ingredient in MYSLF, which emotions does it bring to you?
Orange blossom brings me back to my childhood home where we had an orange tree in the backyard. I have vivid memories of when it would bloom and the oranges would become ripe, and my mom and I would go into the backyard and pick them. So, to me, MYSLF feels like home.
What has your relationship been with fragrances up until this point in your life?
As a little kid, I would sneak into my parents’ room and spray my dad’s cologne or take my mom’s essential oils and mix them. I think I’ve always loved scent because it changes your mood. Our sense of smell transports us more than any of our other senses to the subconscious and our memories. It bypasses the conscious mind. You can smell something that you haven’t smelled in years and suddenly it will remind you of your grandmother’s house or a song or a first-time experience.
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Advertise with NZME.What is your daily beauty routine? Do you use a lot of products or are you fairly minimal?
On a daily basis, my overall beauty routine is very simple. In general, I don’t do much when I’m not working. After I shower, I use an oil on my face and I will sometimes use the same oil through my hair, too. Then I spray MYSLF on each wrist and on my neck.
Does scent play a role in your art as an actor?
I definitely find fragrance can be a helpful tool for getting into character. I began incorporating scent into my work a couple of years ago when I was doing The Iceman Cometh in New York, and I had this essential oil I put on my wrists before rehearsals every day. I carried that routine through the performance, and it became this ritual where I would smell it, and it would lock me into that emotional state because I’d been connecting that smell with that emotion for the entire process of preparation.
Individuality is core to the message of MYSLF. Why is this an important message for you to be a part of?
In the times we live in right now, when comparison is such a pervasive part of our experience, I want to be part of the message that each one of us has gifts that are unique. What I love most in art is when you see the individual specificity of how someone sees the world.
That’s what has been so interesting about my experience with MYSLF. On the surface, we’re talking about a fragrance, but it’s opened up conversations which have encouraged me to look at the things I love most and the people who are staying true to themselves. You don’t have to be anybody else — just focus on what you truly love. Then you’re able to give a gift to the world that would never have existed otherwise.
MYSLF is about embracing all the facts of the person we are. What does it mean to be multi-faceted?
Multi-faceted by definition means to have many aspects or sides. It’s also what drew me to this campaign since we are all more than any one thing. We each have our own dimensions that complement one another to create this larger being. I like that MYSLF supports these complexities and versatilities.
How did you express that in the campaign for the MYSLF film? And how was it to film this campaign?
I felt very fortunate to collaborate with Julia Ducournau on the MYSLF film — she was a dream to work with. The whole process and team behind the film made it a fun and welcoming experience.
When you finish a project or come home from travelling, what kind of routines help you reconnect with yourself?
For me, it’s about connecting to the people that I care about and trying to be as good of a friend and brother and son as I can be. When you’re on set or doing a press tour, you have a lot of people doing things for you as a part of that process. So, when I come home, it’s important to be of service in whatever way I can, because it connects me to my own humanity. That could be as simple as cooking for friends or seeing if somebody needs help moving. That helps to align me back to reality as much as possible. What is truly important in this world is making other people’s lives better in some way.
What are the people, places or experiences you draw from for your creative inspiration?
I’ve been cooking a lot, making pottery, and also painting and playing music. It’s really the practice of enjoying a process without needing to focus on an outcome. That’s the journey of life itself. We never know what’s around the corner, and new things will constantly come up that’ll challenge us or push us or excite us. It is possible to go through life closed from curiosity and wonderment and inspiration, but usually that’s when I’m living in a state of fear and I’m trying to focus on the perfect outcome.
When you’re able to be present with what’s actually right in front you, you remember that each flower is unique and individual with different pigments on each petal. And that applies to everything. Creative ideas will come when I realise there’s an order in the seeming chaos of nature and let my conscious mind rest. Part of that process is keeping your eyes and heart open to inspiration everywhere.
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