Austin Butler revealed the two stars who inspired him when preparing for his role in Dune: Part Two.
The actor, who plays villain Feyd-Rautha in Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to 2021’s Dune, recently told NME that he looked at the broad career work of Gary Oldman and Heath Ledger when doing research and getting ready for the movie.
“I’ve always been inspired by Gary Oldman in many of his roles,” Butler said. “Léon: The Professional, or True Romance, or The Fifth Element.”
The Elvis star continued, “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.” Ledger, who died in 2008, was known for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Dune: Part Two follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while seeking revenge against conspirators who destroyed his family.
In the epic science fiction film, Butler’s character is the villainous nephew of and heir to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård). He appears eyebrowless with black teeth and a bald head, which he previously told The Evening Standard “was freeing because you’re not trying to be anything else”.
The Masters of the Air actor added, “It was so nice not to have hair. Especially after Elvis, where the hair was everything”.
Dune: Part Two, which also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh and Dave Bautista, is currently playing in theaters.