Austin Butler Flaunts “Peak Male Body” After He Stopped Torturing Himself For Film Roles

Austin Butler stripped down and flexed hard, debuting his jaw-dropping transformation after multiple health scares.

“It felt like the life was being sucked from my body,” he said about one terrifying episode, where he experienced temporary blindness.

The 34-year-old star has been preparing for his role of a burned-out former baseball player in the upcoming film Caught Stealing, for which director Darren Aronofsky specifically asked for a toned but not-too-toned body.

Austin Butler debuted his jaw-dropping transformation after multiple health scares

Austin Butler in a shirtless photoshoot showcasing his peak male body with wet hair and a white wet t-shirt against a dark background.

Image credits: Men’s Health

Over the years, Austin put his body through plenty, including binging on two dozen doughnuts and having melted ice-cream to pack on the pounds for the role of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.

As for his preparation for Caught Stealing, Austin said the director wanted him to look athletic but also like an alcoholic bartender.

Shirtless man with peak male body punching a heavy bag in a gritty gym setting, showcasing muscular physique and strength.

Image credits: Men’s Health

Darren would send him multiple pictures of baseball players to show him what he was hoping for.

“I actually have a whole section of just baseball players’ a**es that he would send me. [Darren] was like, ‘Look how thick they are!’” he told Men’s Health for their upcoming issue.

The actor went from a weight of 150 to 185 pounds for his upcoming film Caught Stealing

Shirtless man with peak male body wrapping hands, showing muscular physique and intense expression in black and white photo.

Image credits: Men’s Health

The actor told the magazine about the string of health concerns he had since changing his physique to embody music icon Elvis.

After wrapping up the shoot for Elvis in 2021, Austin remembered waking up to severe, appendicitis-like pain and being hospitalized for a week.

Austin Butler in a shirtless photoshoot showcasing peak male body and muscular physique in a gritty urban setting.

Image credits: Men’s Health

Soon after that, he was on a plane when he woke up to a terrible migraine and lost his vision for several minutes.

“It felt like the life was being sucked from my body. I suddenly felt a euphoric sensation, and I actually genuinely thought I was dying,” he recalled.

The actor, 34, had a series of health struggles from pushing his body for his roles

Austin Butler shirtless photoshoot showcasing peak male body with toned muscles and athletic physique against a textured wall background.

Image credits: Men’s Health

He regained his sight within a few minutes and then went off to the set for a full day of work, brushing off the plane episode as the outcome of sleep deprivation.

Later, during the press tour for Dune: Part Two in South Korea, he began experiencing a sharp pain in his foot but continued walking around with his toes curled up.

austin butler
19 years old 34 years old pic.twitter.com/CCaaB1iXmO

— ada (@leadaal) August 19, 2025

When he finally saw a doctor in New York City about eight months later, a tiny piece of glass the size of a rice grain was plucked out of his foot.

Austin Butler shirtless in a photoshoot showcasing his peak male body and fitness after health struggles.

Austin Butler in a shirtless photoshoot showcasing his peak male body after overcoming secret health struggles.

Austin Butler showcasing peak male body in a shirtless photoshoot, highlighting his fitness after health struggles.

Austin admitted that when he was young, he believed preparing for a role involved some amount of torture and losing one’s self. But today, his process is different.

“For a long time, I felt that it had to be a tortured process,” he said about preparing for a role

Austin Butler posing in a dark pinstripe suit against green foliage, showcasing peak male body confidence and style.

Image credits: Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images

“For a long time, I felt that it had to be a tortured process and I would come out the other side broken,” he told the magazine.

“Rather than just putting parts of yourself away and trying to pretend that they don’t exist, it’s like going into the gross bits of yourself—going into the bits that you don’t want to look at—and finding a way of integrating that into the whole,” the actor continued.

Austin Butler in a dimly lit setting wearing a black lace shirt, showcasing a peak male body look.

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Golden Globe winner explained that even his workout regimen changed with time.

He weighed around 150 pounds during the awards season that followed the release of Elvis and would sometimes forget to eat because of nervousness and anxiety.

During awards season, the Elvis actor would sometimes forget to eat because of his anxiety

Austin Butler performing energetically in front of a vintage microphone during a band photoshoot with a retro backdrop.

Image credits: Warner Bros. Pictures

With help from trainer Beth Lewis, who also prepped Hugh Jackman for his chiseled Deadpool & Wolverine look, Austin brought his weight up to about 185 pounds.

Beth shared updates of her client’s progress on Instagram and said it was a “highlight to watch the change in his body and mindset.”

“He got SUPER freaking strong in the process,” the trainer added.

Young man with bruises on his face, wearing a dark shirt, posing against a brown striped background in dim light, peak male body.

Image credits: Sony Pictures Entertainment

After years of experience in the film industry, Austin agreed that being a successful actor doesn’t have to include an episode of temporary blindness before or after a shoot.

He said he learned that a great actor can still be great with adequate sleep, some time in the sun, and even keeping in touch with friends.

“You don’t have to destroy the light,” he told the magazine.

Netizens praised the actor for his current physique.

“Leading man energy,” one commented online, while another gushed, “The gods carved the body of Austin Butler.”

One fan called his physique “Peak male body”

Austin Butler shirtless photoshoot showcasing peak male body after overcoming secret health struggles.

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Austin Butler showing off peak male body in a shirtless photoshoot after overcoming secret health struggles.

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Austin Butler in a peak male body shirtless photoshoot showcasing his physique after health struggles.

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Austin Butler showcasing peak male body with defined muscles during a shirtless photoshoot after health struggles.

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Austin Butler's peak male body showcased in a shirtless photoshoot highlighting his fitness after health struggles.

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Austin Butler shirtless photoshoot showcasing peak male body and fitness after overcoming health struggles.

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Austin Butler posing shirtless in an outdoor photoshoot showcasing his peak male body and toned physique.

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Austin Butler in a shirtless photoshoot showcasing peak male body after overcoming secret health struggles.

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Austin Butler's peak male body showcased in a shirtless photoshoot following secret health struggles.

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