The 'Elvis' actor recalls struggling to film the second 'Dune' movie because of the harsh conditions on the set and reveals it was so hot that people actually fainted.
- Feb 22, 2024
AceShowbiz - Austin Butler faced brutally hot conditions in his first week on the set of "Dune: Part Two". The 32-year-old star is added to the epic sci-fi franchise in the new movie as the sadistic Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen and revealed how heat stroke took its toll on the cast and crew during his opening week of shooting.
It was 110 degrees and so hot. I had the bald cap on, and it was between two soundstages that were just gray boxes of 200-foot walls and sand. It became like a microwave. There were people passing out from heat stroke. And that was just my first week," Austin told Entertainment Weekly.
However, the "Elvis" actor thinks that the tough conditions were a unifying force for those working on the blockbuster. Austin said, "It really bonds the entire crew. There's something so humbling about being in such an uncomfortable environment."
The hot temperatures made director Denis Villeneuve glad that he didn't take the conventional Hollywood approach by making both "Dune" films back-to-back without a break in production.
The 56-year-old filmmaker said, "Both movies were made in very harsh conditions, and it's very physically taxing, so to have a break in between them was a blessing."
"My first thought was to shoot both movies back to back together, but now I think I would have died. It was really intense, and seeing how the world reacted to 'Part One' was a boost of positive energy to go back into the desert."
Denis previously explained how "Dune: Part Two" is "more of an action" film than its 2021 predecessor. He told Total Film magazine, "The first movie was more mediative and contemplative. We were following a young man discovering a new planet, a new culture. The second movie ... it's more of an action film than the first part. It's more muscular."
