Warning: This article contains spoilers for Dune: Part 2.
Austin Butler has revealed he improvised Feyd-Rautha's dramatic kiss in Dune: Part 2, but he knew his co-star would be "game for anything."
Butler is referring to the moment in Dune: Part 2 when his "psychotic" (and seemingly unpredictable) character exchanges an unsettling kiss with his onscreen uncle, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. Butler hailed his co-star Stellan Skarsgård as "the best" in a recent interview with Access Hollywood, confirming it was impromptu.
"[The kiss] with Stellan Skarsgård? Oh yeah!" Butler said when asked about improvising the surprise smooch. "He's game for anything. He's the best… it's always about how you're trying to affect somebody else."
Butler's Feyd-Rautha is one of the most important new characters in Dune: Part 2, as his cunningly sadistic ways make him a worthy heir to Baron Harkonnen, who is seeking to maintain power and preference in the eyes of the Emperor, while cementing House Harkonnen's place at the top of the galactic food chain.
"He's realizing he's getting old and has to find a successor," Skarsgård said of his character at IGN Fan Fest 2024. "He finds Feyd-Rautha, and of course that's the most ideal heir he can find. I don't think he's interested in sort of the generational thing. He's very pragmatic. It's about making the best moves for his genes."
"Feyd feels in his own way in his own mind and as the chosen one of his group," Butler added about the complicated family dynamic. "He feels more intelligent and more vicious and brutal than almost anyone else that he's surrounded by. So, I think he truly feels that he can take the power and make his vision come to life."
The movie adapts the second half of Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel Dune, but Denis Villeneuve's sequel stays loyal to the book by changing it and cutting certain characters from the story. One of those being Thufir Hawat, who, in the book, schemes against the Harkonnens and manoeuvres Feyd-Rautha against his uncle.
The changes haven't kicked up too much of a sandstorm, as Dune: Part 2 has recevied rave reviews from critics and cinema-goers alike after conquering the U.S. box office with a mighty $81.5 million debut. IGN called the sequel "an arresting, transportive middle entry" in the sci-fi saga that sets the stage for Dune Messiah.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
