Dune 2: Austin Butler explains why he didn’t shave his head

The Elvis star plays the terrible Feyd-Rautha in the Dune sequel.

In a few years, Austin Butler has established himself as one of Hollywood’s new stars. Revealed by his small role in Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood, by Quentin Tarantino, he then burst onto the screen in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. And he is currently shining in Masters of the Airthe new event mini-series produced by Steven Spielberg which follows Band of Brothers and The Pacific.

Austin Butler will also be one of the attractions of Dune 2, at the cinema on February 28, where he plays the ruthless Feyd-Rautha, the nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen who will notably be seen opposing Paul Atréides (Timothée Chalamet) in the sequel to the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel . In the new issue of Première, currently on newsstands, the Australian actor, who likes to immerse himself intensely in his characters, explained to us his approach to the role.

“At first, I wanted to shave completely but I was shooting a film straight after (The Bikeriders) and the director, Jeff Nichols, said to me: ‘Please don’t shave your head…they can afford to put a fake shaved head on you, but we can’t afford to put a wig on you!‘ (Laughs.) So much the better: putting on and taking off this fake skull was part of the ritual to put yourself in Feyd’s shoes. But yes, this fake skull gets hot, when you fight in 40 degrees in Budapest!“

To play Elvis Presley, Butler literally put himself in the King’s shoes for three years, and then had great difficulty losing his accent. This time he didn’t go that far into the method acting.

“I experimented with several ways to build my character. For example, to stay in his skin even after coming home, to live every second of the day with him… But with Feyd, I very quickly understood that it wouldn’t be healthy at all. Not even intelligent. Imagine if I went for coffee on a Saturday as Feyd… Not smart at all. I created little rituals to put myself in his shoes, very quickly, in an instant. (Snaps his fingers.) To be able to go into the darkness without needing to hurt anyone in real life.”

Find our file dedicated to Dune 2 on newsstands and on our online store, with exclusive interviews with Denis Villeneuve, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and Austin Butler.

Excluded – “Dune 2 is a monster, a much more muscular film”