Actor Austin Butler is definitely having a moment right now, largely thanks to his acclaimed performance in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. As fans wait to see if he’s honored with any major nominations this Awards Season, the 31 year-old actor has been keeping busy with a few exciting upcoming projects, including a major role in Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated Dune: Part 2. And Butler recently revealed why he and franchise star Timothée Chalamet got so close while working on the sequel.
Denis Villeneuve did the impossible with his first Dune movie, adapting the beloved novel into a critical and box office success. All eyes are on what he’ll do with Part 2, which will feature returning actors and newcomers like Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, and Austin Butler. The latter actor recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he opened up about the strong bond he made with Timothée Chalamet while adventuring on Arrakis. As he put it,
We bonded immediately, I really love him alot. I’ve been a huge fan of his work. Getting to be out there, there weren’t a lot of people our age necessarily so we stuck together. He feels like a brother now. He’s amazing, I really enjoyed the time with him.
Well, there you have it. While Austin Butler was one of the new actors joining the Dune family in Part 2, it sounds like he and Timothée Chalamet became fast friends. Namely because those two actors were some of the younger members of the movie’s cast, and therefore could find common ground. But don’t expect them to act like besties when the sequel arrives in theaters next fall.
Austin Butler’s comments to Happy Sad Confused host Josh Horowtiz is sure to make the rounds online, considering how massively popular both he and Timothée Chalamet currently are. Plus there’s all the excitement surrounding Dune: Part Two, although the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actor was careful to keep his cards close to the chest.
Indeed, Austin Butler didn’t actually reveal anything about the contents of Dune: Part Two, or about how he’s going to be playing the character Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. But he did reveal some of the prep that went to bringing his character to life on the big screen, saying:
I will say I trained a lot, for four months, just for whatever may be thrown at me, you know? Just got get my body in a place where I can be a physically imposing presence. And then trained a lot in Budapest as well once we knew what was going on.
It looks like Austin Butler made a physical transformation for Dune: Part Two, getting more muscular so he could be a physical presence as Feyd-Rautha. Of course, fans of his work will know this isn’t new for the actor, who played the title character of Elvis throughout his entire life, transforming physically and vocally in the process. The first Dune movie was visually striking, and smart money says Denis Villeneuve will deliver again for his sophomore effort.
Dune: Part Two is currently expected to arrive in theaters on November 3rd, 2023. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater in the New Year. It looks like 2023 could be a big year for Austin Butler, so we’ll have to see how it all shakes out.