Austin Butler has revealed to NME that he drew inspiration from Gary Oldman and Heath Ledger for his performance in Dune: Part Two.
Butler plays the role of Feyd-Rautha, the villainous nephew of and heir to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård), in Denis Villeneuve’s new film.
When asked if there were any classic movie bad guys that he took a lead from while preparing to play the role, Butler said that it was the broad career work of the two stars that motivates him.
“I’ve always been inspired by Gary Oldman in many of his roles,” he said. “Léon: The Professional, or True Romance, or The Fifth Element.”
“And you know, we’ve talked about Heath Ledger a lot, the sense of play that he had. And like I say, it’s not the specific things, but it’s more general inspiration.”
Elsewhere in the same interview, Butler and Dune: Part Two co-star Timothée Chalamet spoke about their dream of creating a shared universe that would include Butler’s portrayal of Elvis Presley and Chalamet’s upcoming version of Bob Dylan.
“There’s an Elvis character in the Johnny Cash biopic [Walk The Line],” Chalamet said. “It’s really brief, it’s very brief, but I was kind of wishing we could create a musical cinematic universe.”
Butler won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for portraying Presley in Baz Lurhmann’s 2022’s Elvis, while Dylan biopic ‘A Complete Unknown’ currently has not been given an official release date.
The pair were also asked if there were any albums that they were currently obsessed with at the moment, to which Butler replied with Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ and Chet Baker’s ‘Chet Baker Sings’, while Chalamet mentioned The Beatles’ 2023 reissue of the ‘Blue’ album.
“I think ‘In Rainbows’ is a perfect album and almost for any mood,” Butler said. “It makes me feel so much and I just love it. Chet Baker, same thing. It’s just the sound of his voice and it’s another one that’s from beginning to end it’s just perfect. I just love it.”
Butler and Chalamet appear as co-stars in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two. In a four-star review of the film, NME wrote: “Despite the film’s potentially punishing 166 minute running time, Villeneuve ensures that it never drags, striking a note-perfect balance between compelling character interaction and blisteringly inventive fight scenes.”
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