If you only know him as the guy who won’t stop talking like Elvis or the terrifyingly bald Feyd-Rautha from Dune: Part Two, you’re missing out on the funniest part of the lore. Long before the Oscar nominations and the method acting, Austin Butler was basically the king of the "background guy" hustle on the Disney Channel.
Seriously.
Whenever people talk about Austin Butler Hannah Montana appearances, they usually think of one specific scene where he’s acting like a complete mess. But what’s wild is that he actually played two different characters on that show. Most actors are lucky to get one guest spot; Austin was so useful to the producers that they just kept bringing him back with different names and slightly different hair.
The Derek Hanson Era: Why He Was the "Worst Date Ever"
Most of the clips you see floating around TikTok today come from the season two episode "My Best Friend’s Boyfriend." Austin plays Derek Hanson. He’s the cousin of Lucas (played by Sterling Knight), who Miley is crushing on at the time.
Miley and Lilly end up on a double date with these guys, and it’s a total train wreck. Derek is—and there’s no polite way to put this—a complete scaredy-cat. They go to see a horror movie, and while Miley is trying to act all cool and edgy, Derek is literally screaming at the top of his lungs and hiding behind her.
He's a mess.
Austin recently talked about this in an interview with ELLE, mentioning that Hannah Montana was actually his first paid job. He was about 14 or 15. He said he had no idea what he was doing but just gave it "Raging Bull" energy. Imagine being 15, sitting next to Miley Cyrus, and your entire job description is "scream like a toddler in a movie theater." He nailed it.
Wait, Who Was Toby?
This is the part that trips people up. Before he was Derek, Austin appeared in season one as a character named Toby.
It was in the episode "Oops! I Meddled Again." He wasn't the lead guest star; he was more of a background presence, playing the ex-boyfriend of a girl named Becca. If you blink, you’ll miss him. This was back when he was still doing uncredited extra work. It’s kinda crazy to think that the guy who spent months living in Elvis Presley’s psyche started out as "Toby the Ex" in a bright-colored 2006 sitcom.
Why Austin Butler Hannah Montana History Still Matters
It’s easy to laugh at the blonde hair and the Disney gloss, but for Austin, this was the trenches. He’s been very open about the fact that while he enjoyed the work, he didn't feel "fulfilled as an artist" during those years. He was often cast as the "heartthrob" or the "cute boy next door" because, well, look at him.
But he wasn't just a Disney kid. He was a Nickelodeon kid, too.
- He was an extra in 41 episodes of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide.
- He played the lead love interest in Zoey 101 (James Garrett).
- He even popped up in iCarly as Jake Krandle, the guy who was "so hot" but couldn't sing to save his life.
There’s a clear pattern here. Austin was the "reliable guy." If a production needed someone who looked great on camera and wouldn't mess up their lines, they called Austin.
The Breakout Shift
The transition from Austin Butler Hannah Montana guest star to serious actor didn't happen overnight. It was a slow burn. He did the CW thing with The Carrie Diaries and The Shannara Chronicles, which gave him a bit more room to actually act, but the industry still saw him as a "teen" actor.
The real shift came when he took a massive risk and went to Broadway for The Iceman Cometh alongside Denzel Washington. That's when people started whispering, "Oh, the Disney kid can actually go toe-to-toe with Denzel?"
Shortly after, Quentin Tarantino cast him in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He played Tex Watson, a member of the Manson family. It was the polar opposite of Derek Hanson. Instead of screaming in a movie theater, he was threatening Brad Pitt on a ranch. That’s the moment the "Disney" label finally started to peel off.
Facts You Probably Didn't Know
It’s weirdly fascinating to look back at the timeline. In 2006, he’s on the set of Hannah Montana. By 2022, he’s winning a Golden Globe for Elvis.
Here’s the reality of his Disney days:
- First Paycheck: He’s confirmed in multiple interviews that Hannah Montana provided his first real paycheck in the industry.
- Home Schooling: Around the time he was appearing in these shows, he left public school in the seventh grade to focus on acting, which was a huge gamble that clearly paid off.
- Shyness: Despite playing "cool" guys or loud characters like Derek, Austin has often described himself as "painfully shy" during his teen years. Acting was basically his therapy.
Honestly, the fact that he can look back at his Austin Butler Hannah Montana days and laugh about it says a lot. Most actors who make it to the "A-list" try to scrub their Disney past from the internet. They want you to think they were born doing Shakespeare. But Austin leans into it. He knows those goofy episodes are why he has the work ethic he does today.
What to Do Next
If you're a fan of Austin's newer work, do yourself a favor and go back to watch the season 2, episode 7 of Hannah Montana. It’s a total trip. Seeing the "King of Rock and Roll" absolutely losing his mind over a scary movie is the kind of palette cleanser everyone needs. It also serves as a great reminder that everyone starts somewhere—even if that "somewhere" involves being the punchline of a Disney Channel joke.
For those interested in the actual craft of acting, compare his performance in that episode to his role as Tex Watson. Pay attention to his physical comedy in the Disney era. It’s actually quite similar to the physicality he used for Elvis, just dialed in a completely different direction. It shows that even when the material was "teeny-bopper" fluff, he was already working on the tools that would eventually win him an Oscar nomination.
Actionable Insight: Check out the Backstage magazine interviews where Austin discusses his transition from Disney to "serious" film. It’s a masterclass in career pivoting for anyone in a creative field who feels stuck in a specific niche.