Austin Butler is on his phenomenal rise in Hollywood with his recent astounding performances, including Elvis and Dune: Part Two. Butler has a unique acting method; that is how he can be differentiated from his co-stars and other actors. He would keep his character even off the camera, at least to a certain extent.
Method acting is what Butler is embracing to evaluate his prowess, but it has also led to the kiss with one of his co-stars that many dubbed as creepy. However, his co-star Stellan Skarsgård who has been in the acting business for decades, didn’t mind Butler’s improvisation. It was natural and very much fitting to the narrative for which the director also kept it in the scene.
Austin Butler’s Improv Didn’t Shock His Co-Star in Dune: Part Two
While many fans and critics have dubbed the kissing scene between Austin Butler’s character Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen and Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Vladimir Harkonnen creepy, it was not a shocker on set. Reportedly, Butler improvised the kiss on the lip while filming the scene. The kiss between nephew and uncle was weird for the spectators, but Skarsgård received it well. Speaking with Access Hollywood’s guest correspondent Emily Orozco, Butler revealed that the Swedish actor was in the game supporting his improv.
“[The kiss] with Stellan Skarsgård? Oh yeah! He’s game for anything. He’s the best…it’s always about how you’re trying to affect somebody else.”
Skarsgård is one of the prominent Hollywood stars who can play almost any role with his decades-long experience. His Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve’s recent masterclass Dune: Part Two has marveled with his villainous goth on screen. Also, the uncle-nephew chemistry with Butler was a hammer on the nail as both the actors shined with their villainous roles in the 2024 sci-fi adventure.
Austin Butler Reflected on Playing Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
It can never be easy to play a ruthless psychopath but Butler was charismatic in his role of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. The actor, despite his method acting, kept a fine line to differentiate on and off the camera to protect his world beyond the cinematic narrative. “With Feyd, I knew that that would be unhealthy for my family and friends,” Butler told the Los Angeles Times, appearing in an interview with the Dune: Part Two director.
“I made a conscious decision to have a boundary. It allowed for more freedom between action and cut because I knew I was going to protect everybody else outside of the context of what we were doing. That’s not to say that it doesn’t bleed into your life. But I knew that I wasn’t going to do anything dangerous outside of that boundary, and in a way that allowed me to go deeper,” Butler said.
Still, the 32-year-old was not entirely shifting places from his personal world to Harkonnen’s callous persona. Villeneuve reflected on Butler’s acting style as he witnessed in Dune: Part Two. He said:
“When the camera was on, it was like you were possessed. When the camera was off, you were still maybe 25 or 30% Feyd. Just enough to still be present and focus but removed enough that you didn’t kill anybody on set.”
Butler shined in his role, he had everything that the director needed for the essence of the character. The villainous uncle-nephew duo was mesmerizing for fans, but the kiss was definitely the eyebrow-raiser. Regardless, it worked for the best.
Dune: Part Two is currently showing in theaters.
