Austin Butler isn't a "method actor" but says he gets "obsessive" over roles.

The 34-year-old actor - who previously had to hire a dialect coach because he couldn't ditch Elvis Presley's accent after playing him in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 movie - admitted he is still trying to figure out how to separate himself from the parts he plays on screen.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I never have used the word 'method.' I think that word gets thrown around a lot. It's a very misunderstood thing that isn't really what I do.

"Sometimes when I get really scared, I can become incredibly obsessive. And when I really love something, I can become incredibly obsessive, and that can mean that I don't have a balance outside of that. And so, less than using that word of [method] it's more of just trying to figure out how to learn how to balance life and seeing that I want to get to be around the people that I love and live the best life I can."

Austin became so immersed in the Elvis role that he was rushed to the hospital due to his body shutting down the day after filming wrapped.

He was diagnosed with a virus that simulates appendicitis and spent a week in bed.

He previously told GQ Hype: "The next day I woke up at four in the morning with excruciating pain, and I was rushed to the hospital.

"My body just started shutting down the day after I finished Elvis."

Meanwhile, Austin - who is currently starring in crime thriller Caught Stealing - recently admitted that he's still trying to understand fame.

Asked how he was coping with the pressures of success, Austin told The Sunday Times newspaper: "I'm trying to figure that out. One interesting thing is that internally not much changes - it's just a collective idea of who you are that changes (from others.)

"And then, in every interview, you try to talk about who you actually are, but it's so complex to try to quantify that.

"I just need to understand how privileged I am. And we all are - to have the life that we have."