Austin Butler says filming Dune Part Two was unlike anything he’d done before

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Austin Butler is out for Atreides blood in the second part of Denis Villeneuve Dune: Part Two and fans who just caught Butler’s award-winning performance as the King of Rock and Roll better buckle up to see the critically acclaimed actor in a whole new way. According to Butler himself, the experience was unlike any he had had on set before.

While Butler may be familiar with fantasy, he played Will Ohmsford in the adaptation of The Shanarra Chronicles – this is the actor’s first real foray into the hard sci-fi genre (we’re not counting his appearance in aliens in the attic). Butler seems to be enjoying the game change. “We had a great time working together on this project. I just had so much fun, especially in this role, doing something so different than anything I’ve done before,” he said. “It was a great thing to be a part of.”

Butler joined the cast to portray the unseen character of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, heir to his uncle Vladimir Harkonnen, the evil baron who serves as the franchise’s main antagonist. Feyd-Rautha is not an angel himself, having been raised by his uncle to be a dark and deadly perfect rival for Paul Atriedes and his intended heir, who will one day wrest the crown from the current Emperor.

Butler is understandably unable to comment on any specific details (no need to spoil anyone who hasn’t read the nearly 60-year-old source material), but he’s willing to come out as a “huge fan” of the previous film. Butler also expresses his admiration for his director, calling Villeneuve “an incredible filmmaker and an amazing person”. If his admiration is any indication, fans can hope to see as complex a version of Feyd-Rautha as they got from Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides.

Dune: Part Two is currently scheduled for release on November 3rd.