Austin Butler’s Elvis voice has taken awards season by storm, but don’t expect Elvis’ deep, sultry drawl to make its way onto Arrakis. “Dune” star Dave Bautista confirmed to USA Today that Butler sounds nothing like himself or Elvis in Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming “Dune: Part Two.” Butler is joining the franchise in the sequel as Feyd-Rautha, the evil nephew of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) who is his family’s planned successor on Arrakis. Feyd-Rautha is also the brother of Bautista’s character, the sadistic Glossu Rabban.
“He’s just the sweetest guy you’ll ever meet,” Bautista said of Butler, who is currently Oscar-nominated for his “Elvis” performance. “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.”
Bautista debuted as Glossu Rabban in the first “Dune” movie, but his role will be greatly expanded in “Part Two.” The actor called Rabban “just a nightmare” in the sequel. Bautista recently told Collider that both his character and the franchise are more “amped up” in “Part Two.”
“The first film was just an introduction to what this film is,” Bautista said. “There’s just so much going on, it’s so much more cutthroat and political and intense. And there are moments of levity where [there are] some funny moments, and they’re kind of absurd humor, but there are those moments. So it’s just so much more amped up than the first film.”
As for Butler’s Elvis voice, the actor told press at the Golden Globes that he doesn’t think he sounds like Elvis. Butler adopted Method acting techniques in order to play Elvis, fully immersing himself in the character for years of prep work. Many fans people Butler’s normal speaking voice has transformed into Elvis’ Southern drawl full time.
“I often liken it to when somebody lives in another country for a long time,” Butler said. “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.”
“Dune: Part Two” is set for a theatrical release on Nov. 3.
