Austin Butler shared a sweet memory of his late mother during a candid new interview on Sunday.
The Elvis actor, 31, lost his mum Lori in 2014 when he was just 23 which left him struggling with depression in the aftermath.
He has now told The Times of a childhood memory he has of her as he promoted his new Yves Saint Laurent fragrance.
Asked by the publication what the earliest smell he remembers was he replied: ‘Interestingly it is the orange blossom.
‘Because in my childhood home there was this orange tree in the backyard and I remember so vividly when the tree would bloom.
Thoughtful: Austin Butler shared a sweet memory of his late mother during a candid new interview on Sunday
Family: The Elvis actor, 31, lost his mum Lori in 2014 when he was just 23 which left him struggling with depression
‘My mother and I would go in the backyard and pick oranges and then go inside to make orange juice. And that really hit me.’
His new fragrance contains notes of orange blossom – which he said made the project mean more to him.
In January Austin opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the painful experience of losing his mother in his early 20s.
The former Disney channel star admitted that he had started filming a project shortly after his mother’s passing, which was caused by a battle with cancer, and that he would ‘cry every night.’
The Elvis actor, who has received a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of the King of Rock n’ Roll, also credited his mother for supporting him in his career, stating, ‘I owe her for everything.’
The Carrie Diaries actor expressed that he first began acting when he, ‘stumbled into extra work,’ adding that he had been, ‘an incredibly shy kid.’
He explained that his mother, Lori, had seen his passion for acting early on. ‘My mom saw that in me, and I owe her for everything because she quit her job and drove me to auditions and took me to acting classes. Then I started working.’
However, after landing larger roles, his mother passed away in 2014 after battling cancer. ‘After my mom passed away, I’d never experienced pain like that before, and I started to question,’ Austin admitted during the interview.
Opening up: He has now told The Times of a childhood memory he has of her as he promoted his new Yves Saint Laurent fragrance
‘Owe her everything’: In January Austin opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about the painful experience of losing his mother in his early 20s (seen in 2012-two years before mother’s passing)
The star stated that after spending time in hospitals and around doctors, he began to ask himself if acting was ‘a noble profession.’
Austin expressed that following his mother’s death, he flew to New Zealand to film a series that was cancelled after two seasons.
He explained that although the show was enjoyed by viewers and that he himself had ‘fun’ shooting, ‘I’d go home and cry every night.’
‘I was dealing with grief, but it was also this feeling that I wasn’t aligned with something that felt truly fulfilling,’ he added, revealing that he was around 24-years-old at the time and was ready to take a break from acting.
‘I thought, ‘I’ve got a little bit of money in the bank. I’ll just take time off.’ Then I started sinking into a deeper and deeper depression. It was about six or eight months of that.’
However, he later sent in an audition tape for the Broadway show, The Iceman Cometh, which also starred Denzel Washington. Austin explained after being cast, that was, ‘the moment that changed my career.’
Austin has previously credited and paid tribute to his mother, including his recent appearance as host of Saturday Night Live last month in December.
Tough: The former Disney channel star admitted that he had started filming a project shortly after his mother’s passing, which was caused by a battle with cancer , and that he would ‘cry every night’
During his opening monologue, the former Nickelodeon actor stated to the audience that when he was younger, he had a ‘crippling shyness,’ but when he was with his mom, ‘I’d just do anything to make her laugh,’ including a Gollum impression.
‘But, really, being silly with her is what broke me out of my shell and the core of what started me in acting.’
Being on SNL had made the star think about his mother, and that he could imagine, ‘how proud she’d be of her son, who used to not be able to order food for myself at a restaurant, is now standing on this stage.’
To conclude his monologue, Austin then dedicated each ‘silly voice’ or a ‘funny face’ he did on the show to his later mother, emotionally adding, ‘That’s for you, mom.’
