During the time he was wrapping up his role as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 movie, Austin Butler also joined the cast of ‘Dune: Part Two’ as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. He had to film his part in the upcoming sci-fi project while still working on the ‘Elvis’ promotion in those months.
In a recent chat with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor revealed how he managed his schedule during that busy period:
“Man, you just take it one moment at a time and focus on how blessed you are. I feel so, so grateful, and that fills me with a lot of energy and a feeling of just being really humbled by it all. So, you just take it one interaction at a time, and yeah, that’s how I was able to get through that.”
Before finishing ‘Elvis’ in March 2021, Butler also became a part of the ‘Masters Of The Air’ cast upon his co-star Tom Hanks’ suggestion. He played Gale Cleven in the follow-up to ‘Band Of Brothers’ and ‘The Pacific.’
He Fell Sick After ‘Elvis’
Between the wrap-up of the biographical drama and the filming of the Apple TV+ show, the actor went through a time of sickness. He told GQ that he was hospitalized with a virus that simulated appendicitis symptoms shortly after they were done filming ‘Elvis.’
About his sickness’ effect on catching up with his role in ‘Masters Of The Air,’ Butler told The Hollywood Reporter:
“Well, I wrapped, and then I had a week where I was sick. I was bedridden for that week, and then I got on a plane and flew straight to England. So I didn’t really have time to prepare beforehand because I was just so focused on finishing out ‘Elvis.’ But once I was in England, I had a 10-day quarantine.”
His words went on:
“It was in that period where you still had to quarantine when you flew to London. And so I had 10 days of just being locked in a hotel room, and that’s when I read [Donald L. Miller’s] ‘Masters Of The Air’ book. I also rewatched ‘Band Of Brothers’ and ‘The Pacific.’ So it was just complete immersion into this time period and story, and then I went straight from there into boot camp. So that was how I transitioned. “
The two episodes of the Apple TV+ miniseries aired on January 26. Looking forward, ‘Dune: Part Two’ is set to release on March 1, 2024.