Not many people remember Austin Butler’s Derek Hanson opposite Miley Cyrus in Hannah Montana. Still, people must live under a rock if they missed his portrayal of the legendary rock and roll singer and actor Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.
Butler’s performance in the movie was praised by the critics and audience and earned him nominations for Best Actor awards, including the Academy Award. He ended up winning the BAFTA and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor.
As if this was not enough to prove his proficiency as an actor, he has now played the role of the villain Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2. To everyone’s utmost surprise, he recently revealed that he improvised one of the most shocking scenes in the movie.
Austin Butler Improvised an Unexpected Scene in Dune 2
Dune 2 is the long-awaited sequel of the 2021 movie Dune, based on Frank Herbert’s novel of the same name. With its ensemble cast of A-list stars led by Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, the movie has literally taken the world by a sandstorm. Austin Butler‘s contributions to this sandstorm are impossible to ignore.
Butler’s character Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen was introduced in this sequel as the villain that goes against Timothee Chalamet’s protagonist Paul Atreides, the heir to the House of Atreides. Feyd-Rautha’s antagonism does not stop at Paul as he is also up against his uncle Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, portrayed by Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård in the movie.
A scene in Dune 2 saw Feyd-Rautha kissing his uncle. On the mouth. This was not only surprising for the audience but also for Stellan Skarsgård. The reason? The scene was improvised by Butler. He admitted as much while speaking with Access Hollywood in an interview.
Austin Butler casually stated that he improvised the scene to get a reaction out of Skarsgård, noting that acting is “all about how you can affect someone.” He also claimed that the Good Will Hunting star is up for anything related to acting and also described him as “the best.” Considering Denis Villeneuve chose to keep the scene instead of cutting it off proves that it holds some relevancy to Feyd-Rautha’s relationship with his uncle.
Austin Butler’s Explanation for Feyd-Rautha’s Brutal Nature
Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen is to the House of Harkonnen what Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides is to the House of Atreides. They are both the respective heirs to their Houses. While Feyd-Rautha has a brutal character, Paul is the exact opposite. The former has learned to rule the people through fear and the latter through faith.
Reflecting on his brutality as Feyd-Rautha in Dune 2 during an interview with Vanity Fair, Butler said:
“There’s a feeling of being stronger and more vicious and more brutal and more intelligent than anybody else, even if that’s not necessarily true to other people. I think it’s true in Feyd’s mind. The sense of self-love and holding myself up on a pedestal is Feyd.”
To Butler’s credit, he has read the novel and has a deep understanding of the character he is playing on the screen. The kissing scene between Feyd-Rautha and his uncle is also a culmination of this because the novel depicts their relationship in a much more complex way.
Dune 2 is available in cinemas.
