While Austin Butler says he was nervous to join Dune: Part Two, those nerves ultimately guided him through the production.
Speaking with Josh Brolin in a recent interview published by Interview Magazine, Butler explained why he wanted to join Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming Dune sequel. “I’m always nervous,” Butler said. “I always feel an incredible pressure. I felt that when I was 12 years old. Even if the material doesn’t really require it, I feel I need to do the best that I possibly can.”
The actor continued, “That sets a bar, and then I’m always afraid that I’m going to miss something. With Dune it was interesting, because I met with Denis [Villeneuve], and we got along very well, and started talking about the character. At that point, we didn’t even have a script, but as we started talking about Feyd, my imagination started running, and I started to feel the terror of the challenge. That’s what I’m guided by now: What really scares me?”
Dune: Part Two was an ‘incredibly different’ experience than Elvis for Butler
Butler said he was also terrified when talking about the role of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic; although, he also noted playing Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen was an “incredibly different” experience.
“Denis is one of the greatest filmmakers alive, so the idea of getting to work with him, and then you, and all of the cast was so exciting for me,” he said. “The thing with Denis is, you’ll give an idea, and then his mind will start to percolate, and then he’ll come back with 10 more, and then you’re feeding off of each other’s imaginations.”
Along with Butler and Brolin, Dune: Part Two stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem.
Dune: Part Two releases on March 15, 2024, from Warner Bros. Pictures.
