TheDunesequel by Denis Villeneuve is on the horizon, and with it comes a new cast of characters, which includesElvisstar, Austin Butler. Butler is an American actor and singer most known for his roles inSwitched at Birth,The Carrie Diaries,Elvis, and having played a prominent role inOnce Upon A Time in Hollywood.The story ofDuneis set in the distant future and is guided by the journey of Paul Atreides, as he finds himself in the middle of a power struggle on the desert planet Arrakis, which like oil, revolves around a valuable substance known as spice. The firstDunefilm by Denis Villeneuve, director ofEnemy,Prisoners,Arrival, andBlade Runner 2049, was well received by both fans and newcomers, and the sequel is highly anticipated. InDune: Part Two, Austin Butler will be playing one of the antagonist characters from the science fiction novel, known as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. Similar to what Butler has had to say about hisOscar worthy performance inElvis, which detailed the work he underwent with his movement coach, the actor stated that he also trained just as hard for his role inDune, but in an entirely different way suited for this new character.RELATED:Dune: The Sisterhood Begins Filming With Mark Strong Seemingly On BoardFilming onDune: Part 2has wrapped, which has allowed Butler the time to sit down with theIn The Envelopepodcast. Butler opened up about his experience and process with the film by detailing his training with a Navy SEAL for roughly 4 months so that he would be “physically imposing” for the role, which occurred during the press tour forElvis. Butler thought this was necessary after understanding Villeneuve’s vision.
As one Twitter User pointed out, Butler is known for being a hard-worker in the industry, and to further this point,Tom Hanks advised Butler on the set ofElvison how to keep himself grounded when in the zone. The actor also expanded on his preparation forElvisin his trepidation towards the desire of not having his own instincts interfere with who Elvis is, and that part of his training was to get those instincts as close to the character as possible. In that sense, training with a Navy SEAL would certainly align with that philosophy for Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, a role that may demand such a presence.
On top of training with a Navy SEAL, Butler also receivedknife training for a specific key scene inDune: Part 2. Being able to witness the actor grow from shows likeHannah Montanato working with Quentin Tarantino and Denis Villeneuve is quite inspiring, and audiences won’t have to wait much longer to see the culmination of his preparation in theDunesequel.
