Watch Austin Butler’s Dramatic Reading of Taylor Swift’s ‘Red’

Austin Butler has made his case to appear on Taylor Swift‘s next rerecording.

Butler took part in W Magazine‘s Lyrical Improv segment, in which actors do a dramatic reading of a popular song. The Elvis star was given Swift’s 2012 hit, “Red,” and he turned the song into a devastating tale of heartbreak, adding to the already emotional lyrics with his low-toned voice and perfectly timed pauses.

“Losing him was blue, like I’d never known / Missing him was dark gray, all alone / Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met / But loving him was red,” he read in the chorus.

“Was that alright?” he asked with a laugh when he completed the task.

Swift unveiled the Taylor’s Version of her Red album in 2021, and immediately debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 605,000 equivalent album units, and the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” shot to the top of the Hot 100 chart. “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)” was up for song of the year and won best music video at the 2023 Grammys.

Watch Butler’s rendition of “Red” below.