Austin Butler didn’t plan to become a viral dance sensation at Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico residency — but one edible and an unexpected spot on stage made it happen. The Elvis star broke down the hilarious story during his recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, confirming the internet’s suspicion that something extra was fueling those smooth moves.
Austin Butler took edibles while dancing at Bad Bunny concert
Austin Butler says his now-famous swaying at a Bad Bunny show came down to one thing: an edible taken right before the concert. The Elvis actor flew to Puerto Rico earlier this month to support his Caught Stealing co-star, thinking he would simply watch from the crowd.
Instead, Butler and director Darren Aronofsky ended up on a secondary stage during the show. “I thought it was a good idea,” he told Fallon of accepting the edible moments before the performance began. “It was not.”
As Bad Bunny launched into his set, Butler realized the edible had fully kicked in. “Suddenly I’m on stage with Bad Bunny and the edible is working,” he said. “It’s like my brain is in two movies.” One half of him admired his friend and soaked in Puerto Rican culture, “I’m watching him going like, ‘Oh my God, look how much you mean to everyone here.’” While the other half worried about pulling focus from the headliner. “Don’t dance, because you’ll take attention away from him. This is his moment.”
In the viral video, Butler can be seen smiling and subtly grooving — a move he says was intentional. “I ended up just like swaying my hips while crossing my arms,” he explained, noting he didn’t want to be the “sad guy” like Ben Affleck at the Grammys, nor the one dancing wildly.
The now viral video only adds to the buzz for Caught Stealing, hitting theaters August 29. Directed by Aronofsky, the crime thriller stars Butler, Bad Bunny, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, and more. It’s about a burned-out ex-baseball player caught in New York City’s dangerous underworld.
