Austin Butler inspired by Gary Oldman and Heath Ledger in ‘Dune: Part Two’
Austin Butler, who stars alongside Timothée Chalamet in Dune: Part 2, has explained how Gary Oldman and Heath Ledger helped influence his role.
In the sequel, Butler portrays Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the younger brother of Rabban Harkonnen and nephew of the tyrannical Baron Harkonnen. To get into character for his role, Butler had to spend hours with the make-up team, who used a skull cap to give the effect of total baldness.
However, his transformation required a complete overhaul of his demeanour. For this, he channelled the work of acting legends Oldman and Ledger.
“I’ve always been inspired by Gary Oldman in many of his roles,” Butler told the NME in a recent interview alongside Chalamet. “Léon: The Professional, or True Romance, or The Fifth Element.”
The Elvis actor then discussed his admiration for Ledger, who sadly died from an overdose of prescription medication in 2008, aged 28.
“And you know, we’ve talked about Heath Ledger a lot, the sense of play that he had,” Butler said. “And like I say, it’s not the specific things, but it’s more general inspiration.”
Although the inspiration was “general”, one can’t help thinking Butler looked to Ledger’s career-defining role as the Joker in The Dark Knight for guidance. The wholly transformative role is often regarded as a factor in Ledger’s demise, given that he employed drastic method-acting measures to nail the part.
Dune: Part 2 arrived in cinemas globally on March 1st and has been met with rave reviews over the past couple of weeks. In a four-and-a-half star review, Far Out said of the movie: “I’d found Dune: Part One to be a mere science fiction cliché exercise, perhaps admittedly owing to Herbert’s singular original influence on the genre.
The review continued: “By the time Part Two’s nearly-three-hour runtime had drawn to a close – even featuring a seemingly rushed ending – I’d undoubtedly become a new convert to Paul’s quest, utterly mesmerised by its prophetic vision and some of the greatest science fiction moments in contemporary cinema.”
Watch the official trailer for Dune: Part Two below.
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