Austin Butler hails Denis Villeneuve as “one of the greatest filmmakers alive”
After working with Denis Villeneuve on the forthcoming movie Dune: Part Two, Austin Butler has labelled the director as “one of the greatest filmmakers alive”.
The movie serves as the sequel to 2021’s Dune . It boasts an all-star cast with Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista and Javier Bardem all set to star alongside Butler.
In the film, Butler portrays Feyd-Rautha, the nephew to Stellan Skarsgård’s Baron Harkonnen character. Due to the strikes in Hollywood, the release date for Dune: Part Two has been pushed back until 2024 after initially being lined up for the 2023 festive period.
Now, during a new conversation with Josh Brolin for Interview Magazine, Butler has discussed his experience of working on the film. “I’m always nervous. 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 that I possibly can,” he explained.
The actor continued: “That sets a bar, and then I’m always afraid that I’m going to miss something. 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?”
He also explained he was drawn to the role because it “was completely different from anything I’ve done” and “incredibly different from Elvis.”
Butler said of Villeneuve: “Denis is one of the greatest filmmakers alive, so the idea of getting to work with him, and then you, and all of the cast was so exciting for me. The thing with Denis is, you’ll give an idea, and then his mind will start to percolate, and then he’ll come back with 10 more, and then you’re feeding off of each other’s imaginations.”
Meanwhile, his co-star Chalamet recently revealed he found working with Butler “inspiring”. He said: “I can’t overstate how inspiring it was to me personally… Because here was someone who’s a little older than me, but generationally we’re similar, and I don’t know how he would put it, but his journey was different than mine.”
Watch the trailer for Dune: Part Two below.
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