Austin Butler improvised Feyd-Rautha's creepy kiss in Dune: Part Two

6 March 2024, 16:32

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By Sam Prance

Austin Butler says that Stellan Skarsgård is "game for anything".

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Austin Butler has opened up about his viral kiss with Stellan Skarsgård in Dune: Part Two and revealed that he improvised it.

There's no denying that Dune: Part Two is one of the standout cinematic events of 2024 so far. The highly anticipated sequel follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he unites with the Fremen people to wage war against House Harkonnen. As soon as it came out, the film received rave reviews and debuted at the top of box office charts all around the world.

And it's Austin Butler's acting in the film that people can't stop talking about...in particular, his kiss with Stellan Skarsgård.

Austin Butler improvised Feyd-Rautha's creepy kiss in Dune: Part Two. Picture: UPI/Alamy Live News, Warner Bros. / Alamy Stock Photo

In Dune: Part Two, Austin Butler plays Baron Vladimir Harkonnen's youngest nephew Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. He's the heir to House Harkonnen and plays a vital role in the movie. At one point in the film, the Baron kisses Feyd-Rautha on the lips and then Feyd-Rautha returns the favour by grabbing his uncle by the neck and kissing him on the lips back.

Naturally, the scene has broken the internet and Austin has now explained in a brand new interview with Access Hollywood that he improvised the moment. He said: "[The kiss] with Stellan Skarsgård? Oh yeah! He’s game for anything. He’s the best…it’s always about how you’re trying to affect somebody else."

Here are just a few of the reactions to the viral moment.

Me watching Feyd-Rautha kiss the Baron a second time in Dune Part Two https://t.co/RtEZEDYSYN pic.twitter.com/GjMhQwoH5h
— Giovanni Lago (@TheGiovanniLago) March 3, 2024

when baron harkonnen kissed his nephew on the lips I thought ok I guess that’s what these guys do but when austin butler leaned in for another go I started to get a little suspicious
— guy (@guymrdth) March 2, 2024

when feyd went back in for the second kiss pic.twitter.com/cqihV8YBOI
— Jake John (@jacobjaboyle) March 3, 2024

Stellan also told Variety that he loved acting with Austin and had a lot of fun on set. He said: "I laughed so much because it was so obvious that [Austin] really enjoyed being evil."