Vanessa Hudgens appears to be tailing her ex-boyfriend Austin Butler after he was ruthlessly mocked for keeping his accent for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.
Butler, 31, has had a toast since he spoke in a thick Memphis tones, just like Elvis Presley did when he accepted his Golden Globe award, though he’s originally from Anaheim, California.
Hudgens — who was first linked to Butler in September 2011 — commented on a post about whether his accent was “real,” in which he joked, “He went to Lady Gaga School of Oscar campaign acting.”
Roast: Vanessa Hudgens appears to be shadowing her ex-boyfriend Austin Butler after he was ruthlessly mocked for keeping his accent for Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic
Ex-Flames: Vanessa and Austin were in a long-term relationship from 2011 to 2020
Fans were quick to note that Hudgens, 34, responded underneath that she was “crying,” which at the jibe was perceived as crying with laughter.
The post comes from social media influencer Ryan Scott, who has nearly 40,000 followers on Instagram.
The joke refers to the over-the-top effort Lady Gaga went to when fighting for an Oscar nomination for her role in House of Gucci, which didn’t go well for the pop singer.
His caption evokes the way the A Star is Born actress was notoriously mocked for her subpar Italian accent when portraying Patrizia Reggiani.
At the time, a dialect coach working with her co-star Salma Hayek on the film remarked that New York-raised Gaga’s accent sounded more “Russian.”
And similar to Butler, Gaga – real name Stefani Germanotta – insisted in a British Vogue profile that she “lived as [Reggiani] for a year and a half. And I spoke of that with an accent for nine months.’
Coming to Butler’s defense shortly after his Golden Globe win, his voice coach Iren Bartlett said, “What you saw in that speech at the Golden Globes, that’s him. It’s real, it’s not fake.’
“I’m sorry people say that, you know, it’s still acting [but] he is indeed taken [the voice of Presley] on board,” she said, adding that the change could be permanent: “I don’t know how long this will last or if it will be there forever.”
Fans have been confused by the voice change since filming for Elvis wrapped in March 2021, almost two years ago.
Irene went on to explain why Austin still sounds the same as he does in the film: “Because of the COVID shutdowns, he was working on it all the time and it’s difficult to turn off something that you’ve put so much focus on [and] Time is running.’
Baffled: Fans have been confused by the voice change since filming for Elvis wrapped in March 2021, almost two years ago
Vanessa’s insult follows Austin’s recent backlash from fans after he referred to his ex – who he dated for eight years – as a “boyfriend” in interviews and explained how he manifested the career-defining role while they were together.
The snub came when Austin shared a story about his former love during The Hollywood Reporter’s Actors Roundtable.
He repeatedly downplayed their relationship when explaining how his “boyfriend” encouraged him to take on the role of Elvis in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic.
‘A month before I heard that Baz [Luhrmann] was shooting the movie, I was looking at the Christmas lights and there was an Elvis Christmas carol on the radio and I was with a friend of mine,” he said.
“I was singing along and my friend looked at me and said, ‘You have to play Elvis. I said, “Oh, that’s such a long shot.”‘
“A few weeks later I was playing the piano,” he continued.
Public shadow: Fans were quick to catch on to this sly comment from Vanessa, which implied she was “crying” and laughing at the joke
“I never really sang for any of my friends or anything. The same friend was there and I played the piano.
She said: “I’m serious. You have to figure out how to get the rights to a script.” Then my agent called and said, “So Baz Luhrmann is doing an Elvis movie.”
While Butler didn’t specifically name Hudgens in his recollection, the actress shared the story in 2019 during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan.
They were still together at the time, as she recalled, “Last December we were driving along and we heard Christmas music and then there was an Elvis Presley Christmas carol.”
His defense: Austin has said on numerous occasions that the accent is “in his DNA,” having worked on the critically acclaimed film for two to three years
‘He had just dyed his hair dark. He’s naturally blonde and I looked at him and he sang along and I said, “Babe, you gotta play Elvis.”
“Then in January he sat at the piano,” she continued.
“And he’s playing and he’s singing and I’m like, ‘I don’t know how, but you have to figure out how to play Elvis. I don’t know how we get rights or what we do, but you have to play him.”‘
Many took to Twitter and labeled him “disgusting” and “disrespectful.”
“He calls Vanessa Hudgens a ‘friend’ PLEASEEEE,” one tweeted while sharing a clip from the interview, while another wrote in replies, “He’s so obnoxious I’m sorry.”
Unhappy fans: Vanessa’s comment follows Austin’s backlash from fans after he referred to her as “girlfriend” in interviews where he explained how he manifested the career-defining role while they were together
Since their split, both Vanessa and Austin have found themselves in new long-term relationships.
Austin became romantically involved with model and actress Kaia Gerber, 21, in late 2021 before they officially walked the red carpet at the Met Gala in May 2022.
The two later jetted to Cannes, where Gerber supported him at the premiere of Elvis.
For her part, Vanessa is just over two years into her romance with MLB star Cole Tucker, 26.
Fans have since dug up an old photo of Vanessa and Kaia when they met at a High School Musical 2 premiere in 2007, showing off their thirteen-year age difference.
Moving on: Since their split, both Vanessa and Austin have found themselves in new long-term relationships
Striking contrast: Ever since Austin started dating Kaia, fans have dug up an old photo of Vanessa and Kaia meeting at a High School Musical 2 premiere in 2007, showcasing their thirteen-year age difference; pictured with Gerber’s mother Cindy Crawford and brother Presley