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Hollywood heartthrob! Austin Butler<\/strong><\/a> has come a long way since his Nickelodeon days<\/a> in the early 2000s \u2014 and fans are taking notice.<\/p>\n The California native<\/a> broke into the entertainment industry in 2005 and instantly became a staple on the kids\u2019 network with roles on both Ned\u2019s Declassified School Survival Guide<\/em> and Zoey 101<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n As he continued to gain fame, Butler stayed close to his inner circle, which includes Ashley Tisdale<\/strong><\/a>. The duo met when the Yoga Hosers<\/em> actor was a teenager \u2014 well before Butler dated Tisdale\u2019s other BFF Vanessa Hudgens<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 and went on to costar in 2011\u2019s Sharpay\u2019s Fabulous Adventure<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve been my best friend since you were 15 so that\u2019s 15 years strong of friendship,\u201d the Suite Life of Zack and Cody<\/em><\/a> alum gushed via Instagram in August 2021<\/a> in celebration of Butler turning 30.\u00a0 \u201cI am beyond proud of you and everything you\u2019re accomplishing but most importantly proud of the person you are.\u201d<\/p>\n Tisdale continued: \u201cYou\u2019ve been my closest friend through the years, you\u2019re the type of friend that came over when I was crying on the floor from a horrible breakup and not only lifted me off the ground but brought my favorite candy \ud83d\ude2d.\u201d<\/p>\n The Young and Hungry<\/em> alum praised her longtime pal for understanding her better than almost anyone. \u201cThere\u2019s no one like you Austin, you\u2019re my twin born 7 years later \ud83d\ude09,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The pair\u2019s friendship, however, has confused some fans after Butler and Hudgens called it quits in late 2019<\/a> after more than eight years of dating. Tisdale has known the Princess Switch<\/em><\/a> actress since before their High School Musical<\/em> <\/a>days, but clearly, her roots run deep with both actors.<\/p>\n Butler, for his part, showed that there are no hard feelings between him and Hudgens<\/a>. In April 2022, the former Nickelodeon star revealed that his ex-girlfriend was part of the inspiration behind him taking on the role of Elvis Presley<\/a> in the film Elvis<\/em><\/a>, which premiered in June of that year<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI was actually driving up through Griffith Park and Elvis\u2019s \u2018Blue Christmas\u2019<\/a> came on,\u201d he recalled to Vogue<\/em> of what sparked the desire to embody the music icon. \u201cI was singing along with it when my friend [Vanessa]<\/a> had kind of an epiphany: \u2018You need to play Elvis.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Scroll down to see Butler\u2019s ups and downs throughout his career:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n