Academy Award-nominated actor Austin Butler will play Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in the eagerly anticipated Dune: Part Two, and the Elvis actor recently disclosed why he had an attack of nerves, bringing his character to life in the film.
Butler discussed his process with Interview Magazine, revealing that his nervousness did not only apply to the formidable challenge of portraying Feyd-Rautha in the Dune sequel. “I’m always nervous,” he said. “I always feel an incredible pressure. I felt that when I was 12 years old. Even if the material doesn’t really require it, I feel I need to do the best I possibly can. That sets a bar, and then I’m always afraid that I’m going to miss something.”
The Dune: Part Two actor also specifically addressed how the challenge of playing the iconic villain made him anxious. He said, “With Dune, it was interesting because I met with Denis (Villeneuve), and we got along very well and started talking about the character. At that point, we didn’t even have a script, but as we started talking about Feyd, my imagination started running, and I started to feel the terror of the challenge. That’s what I’m guided by now: What really scares me?”
The Pressure of Playing Elvis Lent Butler Enormous Confidence
Butler revealed how the pressure of starring in Elvis and playing one of history’s most iconic figures has made him more confident in his abilities. “Because Elvis was terrifying, there was so much pressure, and I was constantly asking myself, ‘Am I enough? Can I pull off this tightrope act?’ That makes you focus and work really hard,” he said. “The wonderful thing about the reception of that film was realizing that even though I had that terror and questioned my own ability if I put in the hard work, I set myself up to hopefully affect some people.”
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Butler intimated that he has now been able to weaponize the fear, using the nervousness to increase his motivation and fuel his performances. “I’m now able to see that terror as a separate thing, and not let it rule me, and instead look at it and go, ‘I see you. I hear you. I’m not going to let you cripple me.’ And then it becomes this jet fuel that makes you wake up at four in the morning with your heart pounding, and you go, ‘Okay, let’s get to work. Let’s start working on the voice. Let’s start working on the body. Let’s start working on the text,'” the actor said.
Dune: Part Two will premiere in 2024.
Source: Interview Magazine
