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Sharpay had the right idea when she fell for the guy behind the camera lens. Nineteen-year-old Austin Butler co-stars with Ashley Tisdale in HSM’s spin-off as student filmmaker Peyton Leverette, but in real life, the  star of Sharpay’s Fabulous Adventure (now out on DVD!) is just as crush-worthy. We caught up with the cutie who dished on Ashley’s diva tendencies, why Ryan Gosling deserves an Academy Award, and what he’s doing on his next first date. Check it out!

ELLEgirl: You play an NYU student in the movie. In real life it’s been a while since you’ve attended a “normal” school. Ever planning on going to college? Where?

Austin Butler: I have done a lot of research on Tisch and on NYU. After the movie, a friend of mine was speaking at USC, and I went down there and looked at the campus and it was so beautiful and such a great campus. Eventually someday I would love to take some time off to either go to film school, or I would also love to go for English and learn how to write.

EG: As a California native, how did you like being in NYC for the film? Could you ever see yourself in the Big Apple?

AB: We never actually filmed in New York! Can you believe that?! We filmed in Toronto! We were supposed to go to New York, but we ended up staying in Toronto. They did a great job. The production designer was great. We had a bunch of yellow cabs and stuff!

EG: Are you interested in filmmaking in real life? Would you ever consider being on the other side of the lens?

AB: I would love to someday direct. Directing requires every decision to be basically yours, so it will take some years to get to the point where I feel confident enough in all my decisions enough to do that. Right now I’ve been writing and stuff, but before I try out directing I would like to go to film school and get a strong base.

EG: You’ve had the good fortune of working with Ashley Tisdale, Miley Cyrus, and a whole bunch of other cuties. Any sparks flying on the set?

AB: Right now I’m single. I am not opposed to crushes! I have been friends with Ashley for years, and we have a strong relationship but have never taken it further. There are girls out there, but I am single at the moment.

EG: We’ve got to ask: was Ashley a diva in real life?

AB: Oh absolutely! When she can take advantage of it, that’s when it really comes out. When we were doing Aliens, and we would be at lunch she would just go, “Austin, can you get me some ginger ale?” and she says it in the sweetest way, like a little puppy.  It is hard to say no to it so I would end up doing it! And I got into this routine of getting her things. Eventually, I wised up to it and don’t get her quite as much stuff.

EG: If you were stuck on an island with one movie, one book, one band, and an endless supply of one meal/food, what would they be?

AB: Movie, The Big Lebowski; book, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy—the one that has all the books in one book—because I could never get tired of all of them;  band, Kings of Leon; food, chocolate-covered strawberries.

EG: What are the top three things that up a girl’s girlfriend potential to you?

AB: Sense of humor. This is so important—just being able to laugh about the same things. That can really throw off a relationship if you don’t laugh about the same things. Ease of being able to talk to her. Of just being able to be myself with her and have conversations. And someone who has drive. Someone who knows what she wants and is constantly taking steps towards that.

EG: Fill in the blank. The most underrated movie is: _____.

AB: Ryan Gosling was way underrated for Blue Valentine. He didn’t get an Oscar nomination, and he should have. I don’t have anything against Jesse Eisenberg, but Ryan Gosling should have been nominated. So through that, the movie was underrated because he didn’t get nominated or anything like that… But I love that movie!

EG: What does your first date itinerary look like?

AB: I like doing things that are kind of unusual… like go rock climbing. My next first date, I’m going to take a girl to a shooting range—because I love to shoot—so we could go shooting and then go to a nice dinner. Then you have a cool juxtaposition between the manliness and the raw, cool thing of shooting and then a fancy dinner afterwards. Doesn’t that sound cool?