As a child, Austin was timid, and so his mom enrolled him in a theatre camp to bring him out of his shell. That's where he first discovered his love of acting. As Austin explained to Teen Vogue back in February 2013, "There was a teacher at the summer camp I went to and when I was about eight or so, she got me an audition at the Golden Apple Theatre. I auditioned for Beauty and the Beast and I got cast as Chip. They put me in this box and stuck my head out of the box and put this broken foam teacup around my face. It continued from there."