Austin Butler Teases His Dune: Part Two Villain Is "The Hero of His Own Story"

Next year will finally see the release of Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve's ambitious conclusion of Frank Herbert's epic. As fans of the literary saga know, the events that have yet to play out onscreen include the conflict between Paul Atredies (Timothee Chalamet) and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler). In a recent interview with Backstage, Butler spoke about the narrative approach to his iconic villain — and teased that he thinks he's in the right.

"[We] really try to dig into the humanity of [the character]. It's that thing of the bad guy in the world doesn't feel like he's the bad guy," Butler explained. "He feels like he's the hero of his own story. And that can be a hard thing with certain characters; with others, it's easier, but you have to not judge the character, and you have to find a way to feel the motivation towards anyone of your actions. So, we had a lot of conversations and crafted that together."

"Denis is so thoughtful, he doesn't miss anything, and his attention to detail is remarkable," he said. "Denis is amazing; he's such an incredible director. The energy on his sets is amazing, everyone trusts him so much, and it's such a well-oiled machine, and he's a master of the craft."

Who will be in Dune: Part Two?

Dune: Part Two is also expected to see the return of Timothee Chalamet as Paul Atredies, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, and Zendaya as Chani, with Christopher Walker playing Emperor Shaddam IV, and Florence Pugh playing Princess Irulan.

"We have been hearing in the past few decades that it's not possible to adapt this book, and that it's an impossible task. I think that in the back of the mind of the studio, it's still the same!" Villeneuve told Total Film in an interview last year. "So the first thing was to prove that there was a beautiful, popular movie that can exist, and I think that I proved that – everybody at Warner Bros and Legendary, they are 100 percent behind the project. They feel that it would need a really bad outcome at the box office to not have a Dune: Part Two, because they love the movie. They are proud of the movie, so they want the movie to move forward. And they still did half of it. So, you know, I'm very optimistic."

"I'm writing [Part Two] now, and I feel like I'm eight years old again," he added. "That's very uncommon for me. It's the first time I've experienced it where I'm watching one of my movies, and I have a moment of deep gratitude, of deep joy, and I say, 'Thank you, life, for having allowed me to bring that to the screen.' [laughs] I don't know how other people will feel about it. But me? Denis Villeneuve when he was 14 years old? Thank you." 

Are you excited to see Austin Butler in Dune: Part 2? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Dune: Part 2 is currently scheduled to be released on November 3, 2023.