"like I really lived there"-Austin Butler reveals why he slept in his underwear on the set of Caught Stealing

Austin Butler revealed that he slept in his character's apartment set for the film Caught Stealing as a way to fully immerse himself in the role and make the space feel more like home. He was in his underwear when he woke up the following morning to find the team showing up for the day's filming. In an interview with Variety on August 25, 2025, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor stated:

“For one night, I had the whole apartment to myself. I played music, I danced around, and I ate Chinese food in there. It made me feel like I really lived there. I slept there all night, and I woke up to the crew coming in while I was in my underwear.”

Austin Butler's upcoming film, Caught Stealing, is a crime thriller from director Darren Aronofsky. He plays Hank Thompson, a former baseball player who turns into an alcoholic bartender and becomes involved in a risky treasure hunt in New York City.

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Austin Butler gets candid about his underwear sleepover on the set of Caught Stealing

Austin Butler at the "Caught Stealing" Photocall (Image via Getty)

Known for his commitment to his performances, Austin Butler pushed method acting to a highly personal level in his most recent movie, Caught Stealing. In interviews, the actor disclosed that, rather than taking Hank's East Village flat as a set, he actually slept the night there to thoroughly immerse himself in the setting.

Butler clarified that the choice was his way of blurring the boundaries between himself and his character, not merely a gimmick. Speaking to Variety, the Eddington actor stated:

“There are many things that conspire against you when you’re making a movie. You’ve got the lights and the camera and the set doesn’t have a ceiling, because they’ve got to light it from above. It’s tempting to look around and break the illusion. So the more I can do to trick myself, the more important it is.”

Despite the staged elements of filming, such as visible lighting or missing ceilings, which could otherwise disrupt the illusion, Butler was able to immerse himself in Hank's world through this psychological technique. At its core, the experience was also about embracing vulnerability.

Butler noted that one of his most difficult parts was that of Hank, a former baseball player who became a bartender, who got caught in a violent spiral. This was because the character was more like him than his earlier characters, such as Elvis. Butler aimed to represent that vulnerability on screen by removing unnecessary frills and literally putting himself in an unpolished, vulnerable position. The Dune actor stated:

“He needed to have the physicality of somebody who was an elite athlete, but who was no longer in peak physical shape,” the Elvis star said. “I wanted to have a certain thickness. So I worked out, but I also drank a lot of beer.”

Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Caught Stealing, featuring Austin Butler, will release in the U.S. on August 29, 2025. The film will also feature Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Regina King, Liev Schreiber, and Vincent D’Onofrio.

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