Austin Butler Spilled The Truth Behind His Hairless Look In Dune 2
"Elvis" star Austin Butler is known for sporting beautiful blonde tresses, similar to Brad Pitt's stylishly unkempt, instantly iconic hairstyle in "Fight Club." His '90-esque 'do was a major calling card for the actor. That is, up until he shaved it all off to play the villainous Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen in "Dune: Part Two." Or did he?
Notably, unlike in the source material, the Harkonnens in Denis Villeneuve's adaptation are all pale with shiny bald heads. Although fans weren't surprised when they saw that Butler had traded his enviable locks for a completely hairless look as it was obviously part of the role, many couldn't wrap their heads around just how bald he was! "No matter how many previews you see of dune 2, austin butler is somehow balder than that in the movie. You'd think there'd be a limit on how bald you can possibly be but somehow he's more bald than that," one fan joked on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Another quipped, "And the oscar for best bald person in a major motion picture goes to austin butler." Nailing the bald look is a tall order, so we've got to hand it to Butler for owning it, at least on the big screen. Turning into Feyd-Rautha was no easy feat but he didn't pull a 2007 Britney. Instead, the committed actor sat in the makeup chair for hours to ditch his hair and eyebrows and sport some unappealing black teeth.
His transformation required hours in the makeup chair
Austin Butler found himself practically living in the makeup chair while shooting "Dune: Part Two." During an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the Oscar nominee dished that the director of his next gig pleaded with him not to shave his head, so Butler had no choice but to endure a three-hour makeup and prosthetics marathon each day on set. "We had the most amazing hair and makeup team," he gushed, before joking, "It was so liberating not having eyebrows, you don't realize how much they weigh you down."
In a Vanity Fair interview, the former Nickelodeon star delved deeper into the process behind looking as hairless as possible, revealing that it involved multiple caps and white body paint. "There's two caps on my head," Butler recalled. "One that goes over the hair, and then there's the sculpted cap that attaches kind of where my eyelids were, right at the crease of my eyelids. That goes all the way back."
While others might balk at the idea of sacrificing precious time for makeup, Butler sees it as less of a chore. When it comes to acting, he has a deep appreciation for the transformation process and was happy to temporarily distance himself from his own identity to fully get into character. "It's a gift as an actor to not see yourself, you know?" Butler informed "Extra." "You kind of suspend disbelief in a way."
Butler took his preparation for Dune 2 very seriously
Adopting the bald look was merely the tip of the iceberg but Austin Butler, who gained weight for "Elvis," is renowned for his commitment to his roles. Even so, the "Zoey 101" star's approach to embodying Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen was intense, with the actor proudly telling the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast that he had to undergo training for months in advance just to "get my body into a place where I can be a physically imposing presence." And boy did he train hard.
The "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" star recalled on "Hot Ones" how his trainer, Duffy Gaver, who also trained Brad Pitt for "Troy" and Chris Hemsworth for "Thor," encouraged the actor to test his limits. "[My trainer] basically just worked me until I would throw up every time," Butler admitted."Duffy, I found him because he's this sort of legend. He was a Navy Seal [...] And he's the nicest guy as well. But he also doesn't really count reps. He just goes for it."
The result? 25 lbs of additional muscle. Not too shabby! And for anyone curious about whether or not he was able to shed his infamous "Elvis" accent for the role, Butler did that and more. Just take it from co-star and onscreen brother Dave Bautista, who plays Glossu Rabban in the film: "I don't know who this guy was, but it's not Austin Butler. It's not Elvis. His voice is different, his look is different. Everything about his demeanor is terrifying," he told USA Today.