Austin Butler Is Trying Hard To Shake His Elvis Voice, Which Thankfully Won't Be In Dune 2
Ever since Austin Butler starred in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 biopic as the famous rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, he's had a famously difficult time dropping the voice. Speaking in interviews as recently as a few weeks ago, you can still hear the Elvis accent trickling into his speech. It's confused people on social media for months at this point, who have been debating whether Butler is faking the accent for attention, or if he's telling the truth when he says he can't help it.
"I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time," Butler said in an interview with Variety. "I had three years where [Elvis] was my only focus in life, so I'm sure there's just pieces of my DNA that will always be linked in that way."
It's the sort of thing that could concern you if you're a "Dune" fan, because the actor plays Feyd-Rautha in the upcoming "Dune: Part Two." As the cruel, threatening nephew of the Baron Harkonnen, Feyd-Rautha as a character can't really work if Butler's Elvis accent sticks around. Luckily, Butler's been working on that. "I am getting rid of the accent," Butler explained to Variety, "but I have probably damaged my vocal cords with all that singing." Co-star Dave Bautista, who plays Glossu Rabban of House Harkonnen, has also confirmed (via USA Today) that the Elvis accent is nowhere to be found in Butler's "Dune" performance.
What to expect from Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen
Feyd-Rautha is essentially the mirror of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet). Trained from birth to be a great warrior, Feyd is exceptionally bright and strong for his age, to the point where he was favored as heir over his older brother. There's also some complicated backstory that entwines his and Paul's destinies: if Jessica had given birth to a girl as she'd been ordered to by the Bene Gesserit, it's likely the Bene Gesserit would've attempted to marry her to Feyd. Things are complicated further by the fact that Paul and Feyd are technically cousins, with Paul having Harkonnen blood from his mother's side.
As for Feyd-Rauth's personality? He's a bit of a bad boy. He's arrogant and a trash talker, but he's got the skills to back it up. He serves as the final antagonist for Paul to defeat, and the battle appears so evenly matched that no one involved is able to confidently guess the outcome, even though "Dune" is filled with people who can (somewhat) predict the future. The famously stoic Jessica even covers her eyes as the fight begins.
Feyd-Rauth's last appearance on the big screen was in David Lynch's adaptation back in 1984, played by Sting. Yes, the musician. Say what you will about the cluttered '84 film, but Sting got to make a strong impression as Paul's evil, smirking final villain. One can only guess how Butler's take on the character will differ, but if Dave Bautista's recent interview with USA Today is anything to go on, we've got a lot to look forward to. "I don't know who this guy was, but it's not Austin Butler. It's not Elvis," Bautista said. "His voice is different, his look is different. Everything about his demeanor is terrifying."