Austin Butler says he almost quit acting after his mother died: 'I started to question if this was a profession that could help the world'

• Austin Butler considered quitting acting after his mother died from cancer in 2014.
• "I started to question if this was a professional that could help the world," he said.

Austin Butler considered retiring from acting after his mother died in 2014.

The Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee revealed in a recent interview with Access Hollywood that the death of his mother Lori from cancer in 2014 made him question his chosen career.

"After my mom passed away, that put things in a different perspective where I started to question if this was a profession that could help the world," Butler said.

Fortunately, the actor continued to work, motivated by his own personal experiences at the movie theater.

"I thought of all those times I've gone into a movie, come out, and the world has felt more vibrant, or I've had a cathartic moment where I needed a good cry and I saw a film that made me cry or I needed a laugh and it made me laugh," Butler explained.

Added Butler: "That's what I get to be a part of. Storytelling has been a part of humanity since the dawn of time, and I feel really honored to be a part of that sort of lineage, you know?"

Butler traveled to New Zealand after his mother's death to shoot the young adult TV show "Shannara Chronicles," where he played the half-human, half-elf Wil Ohmsford. The actor appeared in a supporting role in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" nearly two years later.

His portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann's biopic "Elvis," however, is proving to be his most powerful performance yet, earning him a slew of awards, including the Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a motion picture (drama). And it's possible Butler could also take home an Oscar come March 12, as well.

But for now, Butler is enjoying some of the perks that come with his hard-won stardom, including an encounter with Tom Cruise at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees luncheon earlier this week that left him stunned.

"I honestly feel like a kid in a candy store now, because I'm just getting to meet the people I am and talk with the people I've been around," he said.