How Austin Butler Balanced The Bikeriders with Dune 2

5 years in the past, Austin Butler’s memorable supporting position in Quentin Tarantino’s As soon as Upon a Time in Hollywood turned out to be his audition for main man standing, and he’s since turn out to be not solely a frontrunner on set however a frontrunner on Hollywood’s new A-list. 

Coming off of Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air and a villainous position in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Half Two, Butler is now again on the massive display in Jeff Nichols’ long-awaited Sixties crime drama, The Bikeriders. And whereas Butler led the star-studded ensemble alongside Jodie Comer, he performs a personality named Benny who completely refuses to take the reins of his Chicago-area bike membership because it loses its means into organized crime. Impressed by Danny Lyon’s photojournalistic e book of the identical identify, Butler’s real-life character was one of many few who wasn’t interviewed for the e book nor was there an precise {photograph} of his face, so the Anaheim native needed to fill within the gaps himself. 

“The factor with stoic characters is they may not say a lot, however it’s not as a result of there’s an absence of thought or an absence of opinion,” Butler tells The Hollywood Reporter. “So I wrote out all his ideas in these silent moments, and that means, I knew what his opinions have been. His life wanted to really feel wealthy even in these moments of silence.”

When Butler launched into the position of Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in Dune: Half Two, he knew he’d be filming The Bikeriders instantly afterwards. However this quickly introduced an issue as Feyd — like his brother Rabban (Dave Bautista) and Uncle Vladimir (Stellan Skarsgård) — is supposed to be hairless. Nicely, Nichols, who’d already confronted numerous obstacles in bringing his sixth movie into fruition, requested his lead actor if he might as a substitute go the best way of the bald cap, one thing Butler and Dune: Half Two producers finally obliged. 

However due to the back-to-back shoots in Budapest, Hungary and Cincinnati, Ohio, respectively, Butler discovered himself prepping each Benny and Feyd concurrently. 

“I used to be getting used to these outdated bikes as I used to be doing the knife coaching and stuff for Dune, after which I put Bikeriders on maintain for a bit as I acquired nearer to Dune,” Butler says. “I shot for a month, after which I had two weeks off, after which I shot [Dune] for an additional month. So, throughout these two weeks off, I went and did bike coaching [in the States], after which I went again to Dune.”

From Tarantino and Elvis director Baz Luhrmann to Villeneuve and Nichols, Butler’s spectacular résumé of auteur filmmakers continues to develop by the day, and the latest addition to his filmography is Ari Aster and his upcoming A24 movie, Eddington, co-starring Joaquin Phoenix, Emily “Emma” Stone and Pedro Pascal. 

“I’m an enormous fan of Ari and Joaquin [Phoenix] and Emily [Emma Stone] and [DP] Darius Khondji and all people concerned. I don’t wish to give a lot away so far as the story and character go, however it was a wild journey that I acquired to go on. I acquired to play a personality who’s very completely different from something that I’ve finished,” Butler shares.

Under, throughout a latest dialog with THR, Butler additionally explains how The Bikeriders implanted the bike bug in him, earlier than providing his ideas on Benny’s brazen method of wooing Comer’s character, Kathy.

To grasp the timeline, did you principally fly from Budapest to Cincinnati?

It was that speedy, yeah. I completed Dune: Half Two [in Budapest], and I flew straight to Cincinnati for The Bikeriders. 

You strike me as somebody who prefers to be centered on one position at a time, however did you principally need to prep Benny in between filming as Feyd?

Yeah, that was the tough half to determine. I knew that I used to be going to do each movies earlier than I began Dune, however I had to determine front-load the prep on Bikeriders and begin coaching on a bike. So I used to be getting used to these outdated bikes as I used to be doing the knife coaching and stuff for Dune, after which I put Bikeriders on maintain for a bit as I acquired nearer to Dune. I acquired actually invested in that, after which my schedule on Dune allowed me to return again to the States for 2 weeks between blocks. I shot for a month, after which I had two weeks off, after which I shot [Dune] for an additional month. So, throughout these two weeks off, I went and did bike coaching, after which I went again to Dune. So as soon as I acquired into filming [The Bikeriders], I felt that I had a grasp on that simply to make it simpler for us.

To be frank, you’re a commodity now. Simply the thought of you shaving your head for Dune: Half Two created potential problems for The Bikeriders. Thus, how a lot bikeriding have been you truly allowed to do? Did you get to do sufficient on digicam to the place you understood its attract for Benny? 

Completely, and sure, there was a second the place I used to be going to shave my head [for Dune: Part Two]. After which Jeff mentioned, “You’re going to be coming straight right here [from Dune: Part Two] — are you able to not shave it?” And so Dune allowed that to occur. I began driving months earlier than with [stunt co-coordinator] Jeff Milburn, who’s our bike professional on the movie, and a lot of the bikes that you just see within the movie are his private bikes. The one I’m driving is his private bike. So he and I acquired collectively very early on, and we simply turned actually good quick associates. He launched me to his biker group, and these individuals who simply dwell and breathe bikes. So it helped immerse me in that world and that love for the tradition and that love for the sensation of freedom that you’ve on a bike. Once we completed the press junket yesterday, he and I went for a protracted experience collectively, and so I’ve positively caught the bug.

Benny is a closed e book, so how did you discover your means into a personality who doesn’t let individuals in?

That’s a extremely good query, and it’s fascinating as a result of Jody had about half-hour of audio of the actual Kathy talking. There’s all these interviews within the e book with a lot of the different characters, however Benny was by no means interviewed and his face additionally wasn’t photographed. You solely see him from behind or the highest of his head as he’s leaning over a pool desk. So, for me, it was numerous conversations with Jeff Nichols, and then you definately form of work in reverse. I see the place he’s in our story, after which I work backwards to determine what sort of childhood he might have had that might lead him to be this particular person. It was numerous creativeness as to how his relationship together with his father can be and stuff like that. He’s additionally one of many youngest members. So it was numerous time and creativeness in determining what makes him tick. The factor with stoic characters is they may not say a lot, however it’s not as a result of there’s an absence of thought or an absence of opinion. So I wrote out all his ideas in these silent moments, and that means, I knew what his opinions have been. His life wanted to really feel wealthy even in these moments of silence. 

You’ve labored with a who’s who of administrators now, so what makes Jeff Nichols Jeff Nichols? 

Jeff Nichols is simply such a beautiful particular person and he’s so pretty to be round. On high of that, he has this excellent humility combined with confidence. He’s seen the film in his thoughts, however he has sufficient humility and confidence and religion that he’s prepared to discover issues on the day, as effectively. And that’s what he advised me early on, too. He mentioned, “We will at all times fall again on the film I’ve seen in my thoughts, however let’s additionally discover many different choices of how we might strategy a scene.” So he isn’t inflexible in that means. He’s additionally acquired this poet’s coronary heart and a thinker’s soul. The best way that he talks about humanity, the best way that he thinks about human conduct and the themes of masculinity and love and need for freedom, he’s such an enriched human being. So we had fantastic conversations about all of that, and I felt like I used to be in such protected arms with him.

As youngsters, now we have all these communities that we will belong to, reminiscent of Boy Scouts, little league, AYSO, and many others. I even keep in mind doing these social etiquette programs known as cotillion and supper membership.

Oh yeah, you probably did cotillion? I keep in mind listening to about that.

However, as adults, these alternatives are tougher to return by for lots of people. So, whereas the ‘60s have been a very completely different period, do you suppose that childhood want for belonging is partially why these guys maintained this bike social membership? 

That’s an excellent level that you just made there, and as human beings, we positively thrive after we discover ways in which we like to kill time with like-minded individuals who have related passions. I used to be speaking to Jeff Milburn yesterday, and he mentioned, “Once you’re on a bike, your life is in your arms.” And I hadn’t actually considered that and the way empowering it’s to really feel that sense of self care the place you’re placing your self in a harmful scenario. It’s in your arms, however it’s exhilarating and empowering. So a bunch of like-minded individuals get collectively, they usually have that related mentality the place they’re prepared to do that harmful factor that brings them into the current second. It’s important to be extremely current once you’re on a bike as a result of there’s vehicles continuously driving out in entrance of you, and when you have velocity, then you definately’ve acquired to take care of the circumstances throughout you. So it brings you proper into this current second, and once you’re doing that in a neighborhood, it’s enlivening for positive.

Benny has a number of alternatives to guide the membership, however he declines to just accept the accountability. You’re now main units as primary on the decision sheet. It’s important to set the tone amongst the remainder of the solid. Is {that a} position you’ve cracked but?

There’s at all times issues to be taught, and I really like having conversations with different individuals who’ve been in these positions for for much longer than I’ve about the most effective methods of speaking with others and set the most effective tone on set. I’ve discovered methods over time from watching administrators or actors that I like and the way they do it, however I’m positively nonetheless studying. I simply love creating an atmosphere the place individuals can really feel protected, personally and creatively. I wish to create an atmosphere the place they’ll take dangers and really feel that they belong and belief that they’ll go to the very fringe of their limits. That may be a really susceptible feeling. I additionally love an atmosphere the place you don’t have telephones on set. Movie lasts without end, however the expertise is short-term. So I really like units the place you actually immerse your self in that world, and also you simply let the remainder of the world fall by the wayside whilst you’re creating this imaginative and prescient collectively.

I’ve seen some grand romantic gestures in my day, however I’ve by no means seen something fairly like Benny’s act of chain-smoking all night time outdoors Kathy’s (Jodie Comer) home till her boyfriend waved the white flag. 

(Laughs.)

What’d you make of his psychology there?

​​I keep in mind studying that within the script and simply loving that second. It’s such a mix of persistence and nonviolence, however but, on the similar time, it’s fairly invasive to sit down outdoors the home of one other man who’s with this particular person that you just actually wish to be with. It exhibits such persistence and confidence: “If I simply wait lengthy sufficient, I do know that we’re meant to be collectively.” In order that’s form of how I see it. He would wait till the top of earth for her, however he isn’t the kind of character that should bray and do that entire mating dance in a means. He doesn’t must be violent, however it’s a stoic philosophy of simply having the ability to wait out the storm in a means and know that she will likely be there finally.

Earlier on, I alluded to the who’s who of administrators that you just’ve now labored with, and  you lately added one other identify to the listing. Can I ask how Ari Aster’s newest film, Eddington, went?

Yeah, I’m an enormous fan of Ari and Joaquin [Phoenix] and Emily [Emma Stone] and [DP] Darius Khondji and all people concerned. All the group was unimaginable to work with. I don’t wish to give a lot away so far as the story and character go, however it was a wild journey that I acquired to go on. I acquired to play a personality who’s very completely different from something that I’ve finished. Ari and I’ve been associates for just a little bit, and it was nice to see him on set. He’s such an unimaginable filmmaker, and he has such confidence and such a humorousness and wild creativeness. I really liked working with him.

I spoke to Stephen McKinley Henderson lately, and he was fairly zen about his Dune: Half Two expertise. 

I really like Stephen.

He principally mentioned, “I acquired to have lunch with Christopher Walken, and work with Austin and Stellan and Timothée.” He nonetheless had all these highlights no matter how the reduce shook out for his character. For him, it was all concerning the expertise as you talked about earlier. So what was your final spotlight from that have?  

That was such a outstanding set to be on. Similar to what you mentioned with Stephen, the breadth of expertise that I used to be surrounded by was awe-inspiring. I’ve had such a humiliation of riches with the administrators I’ve been in a position to work with lately, and I acquired to see Denis Villeneuve work and the way he and [DP] Greig Fraser would body photographs and discuss filmmaking. I’ve so many fond recollections and moments from that set with Josh Brolin and Christopher Walken and Javier Bardem. Me, Timmy [Chalamet], Zendaya and Florence [Pugh] would exit to dinner. So watching all of that expertise in entrance of my eyes and studying from all people was simply an unimaginable expertise. Stephen and I additionally had numerous nice conversations, and what a gifted man he’s. I’m such a fan of his, and I liked every thing he did in that movie. So it was actually a good time. I’ve additionally acquired to say Stellan Skarsgård. He cracked me up, and I liked getting work with him. He has such an important humorousness and such a strong presence.

First, you mastered the air, and now you’ve mastered the land through desert and freeway. Is the ocean up subsequent?

(Laughs.) I hadn’t considered that, however it’s a good suggestion.

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The Bikeriders opens in theaters on June 21.