The Making of Austin Butler’s Sexy Psychopath in ‘Dune: Part Two’

aggressive imitation, Sometimes called Peckhamian mimicry, scientists use this term for predators that disguise themselves in order to attract prey, wear down their defenses, and eventually overpower and swallow them. The orchid mantis attracts hapless insects due to its resemblance to a pink, nectar-rich flower. The Amazonian wildcat, known as Marge, mimics the screams of baby monkeys, causing their worried parents to run away – never to return. photoris Fireflies use sex appeal, flashing their glowing bodies to match the mating signals of rival species… then cannibalizing any sexually aroused hopefuls who come near.

Austin ButlerThe ruthless killer of the prince, Feyd-Rautha, operates in much the same way. He is certainly terrifying, but to those who see him, he appears captivating, even beautiful – usually before they become his latest victims. in the upcoming Dune: Part 2, Tea elvis The star plays the most formidable warrior to emerge from the villainous Harkonnen clan, a population populated primarily by cruel, sickly yellow demons whose biology is polluted by their toxic homeworld of Giddy Prime. In contrast, Routha looks like a Renaissance sculpture come to life with a perfectly sculpted marble physique, an enigmatic smile and a tendency to take off his clothes.

Filmmaker says this temptation was deliberate denis villeneuve, “Absolutely. He’s probably the sex symbol of Giddy Prime,” explains Villeneuve. Vanity Fair. “I was looking for that kind of physical attraction. You will see a strong, strong sex appeal in Fayed-Routha.

After discussing those character traits with the director, Butler says he immediately began an intense fitness regimen with an ex-Navy SEAL to take his already shapely look to the next level. “It changes the way you move, it changes the way you feel in your body,” says Butler. “And then I started taking a lot of knife training. Also, it was watching animals, watching a leopard and a snake and seeing how they use their eyes and moments of peace in unexpected moments where they might attack. All of that was the cornerstone for me.”

Butler famously adopted and maintained the southern drawl of Elvis Presley, but this time he imitated the voice of stellan skarsgårdBaron Harkonnen, the sadistic head of the interstellar cartel whom Feyd-Rautha serves. “I got the sense that Fayed grew up with the Baron and he’s the one who has the most power. We naturally adopt the qualities of the people we have grown up around,” says the actor. “The voice, in a way, becomes the fingerprint of the soul. And it changes the way you breathe, and the rhythm in which you think becomes different, too. And so that became a real key for me.

The director encouraged Butler to think of his bloodthirsty killer as a kind of celebrity. “I always say Austin brought some swagger Mick Jagger In character, Villeneuve says. “You know when Jagger walks into a room, everyone in the room is attracted to Jagger. It’s the same with Austin’s character.

When? david lynch directed the adaptation of dune In 1984, he singled out Fayed-Routha as a genuine rock star: sting, Who famously (or infamously) stepped into the film wearing only an armored G-string. (“I still have these,” the musician joked in 2019. “It’s very hard to wear my pants over these.”)

There is no vacillation in Butler’s Feyd-Routha, just an unshakable stoicism and calmness. “A wild animal is always either aggressive or aware of the fact that there could be a predator around the corner at any time,” says Butler. “He has that intense presence.”