Austin Butler, unrecognizable in Dune Part Two

Austin Butler had a wonderful 2022 with the film 'Elvis.' Since then, he shared the screen with Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy in 'The Bikeriders,' but fans of the Elvis actor are even more left astounded at his transformation in the much-anticipated Dune 2, which will come to our screens in 2024.

The award-winning actor is set to play Feyd-Rautha in Dune: Part Two. The character plays an important part in the story. Dune fans had already wondered why the character was not prominent in the first film. Stepping into Sting's shoes (who played Freyd-Rautha back in David Lynch's Dune adaptation in 1984), we can feel comfortable Butler's upcoming performance will be as masterfully creepy as his looks in the trailer.

Things have been crazy for Austin Butler since he made the role of Elvis his own in 2022. He has received international acclaim for his portrayal of the King of Rock and Roll, including an Oscar nomination.

Before embarking on new projects though, the star first had to recover from all the commotion surrounding his Elvis impersonation during the awards season. In March of 2023, he took a break together with his girlfriend Kaia Gerber (yes, the daughter of Cindy Crawford!).

For his role as Elvis in the Baz Luhrmann biopic of the same name, Butler has won several important film awards. Not only did he win the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, for example, but on the other side of the Atlantic he also won the BAFTA.

Tragedy struck on January 12 when Lisa Marie, the daughter of rock ’n’ roll icon Elvis Presley, died after suffering a heart attack at the age of 54.

Lisa Marie had nothing but praise for Butler’s turn as the King, telling Entertainment Weekly that he had honored Elvis in every way possible. Butler would later say about Presley's daughter in Variety that he was "eternally grateful for the time I was lucky enough to be near her bright light."

So, who is this young actor Hollywood has been so excited about?

Photo: Still from 'Elvis,' Warner Bros.

Austin was born in California on August 17, 1991. He has an older sister and his parents divorced when he was seven. We can only imagine his parents were supportive of his dream to become an actor, as he had interesting schooling which would pave the way for stardom.

Butler attended public school until the seventh grade. Then he left and was home-schooled in order to focus on his acting career. He continued his home-school education until the tenth grade when he decided to finish his formal high school education.

When Austin was 13, a chance meeting at the Orange County Fair with a representative from an acting management agency put this young actor on the road to stardom.

He began his career on television and had a guest role in two episodes of the teen show 'Hannah Montana.' He also had a recurring role in the television series 'Switched at Birth' and then main roles in 'The Carrie Diaries' and 'The Shannara Chronicles'. He has changed a lot since then but has still retained his baby-faced features.

His first main role came in 2008 when he was cast as Jamie Lynn Spears' crush in the Nickelodeon series, 'Zoey 101'. He joined in the fourth season of the series but certainly made his mark as swoonable James Garrett.

Butler starred in 'Aliens in the Attic' which would be his film debut for 20th Century Fox. It is a family adventure film from 2009 (yes he was only 18) where he tried to save the world from an alien invasion.

Photo: 'Aliens in the Attic' still/20th Century Studios.

Austin also played Manson family member Charles 'Tex' Watson in Quentin Tarantino’s 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.' That's how you may have gotten acquainted with him for the first time.

Austin hasn’t just worked on TV and in film. He also appeared with Denzel Washington in a critically acclaimed theater performance of Eugene O’Neill’s 'The Iceman Cometh.'

The 30-year-old landed the role of Elvis Presley beating competitors like Harry Styles, Miles Teller, and Ansel Elgort. According to 'Celebrity Nine,' all of these celebrities were names considered for the role.

Austin sent his audition tape to Baz Luhrmann. It was such a bizarre audition that the colorful director needed to know more.

Austin had sung a heartfelt rendition of 'Unchained Melody' while wearing a bathrobe. It was enough to make Lurhmann confused and intrigued, he told GQ. "Was it an audition? Or was he having a breakdown?" Luhrmann thought to himself.

Photo: Still from 'Elvis,' Warner Bros.

And then there was something else in Austin Butler's favor. "I get a phone call out of the blue from Denzel Washington, who I did not know," Luhrmann revealed to GQ.

Photo: Still from 'Elvis' Trailer, Warner Bros.

"Denzel Washington just said, in the most incredibly emotional and direct way, 'Look, I've just been on stage with this young actor. I'm telling you, his work ethic is unlike anything I've ever seen. I've never seen anyone who devotes every single second of their lives to perfecting a role,'" Luhrman said.

And so, one way or another, Austin Butler got the role. When the pandemic hit, the production had to be postponed, which gave Butler the opportunity to really get into the role. At the same time, he says, he neglected his sister and friends as he engrossed himself in deep character analysis, cutting himself off from the rest of the world.

Photo: Still from 'Elvis' Trailer, Warner Bros.

In fact, he spent so much energy and soul delving into Elvis' character that he was hospitalized for a week after filming, as reported by El País.

Photo: Still from 'Elvis' Trailer, Warner Bros.

Austin can embody the life of Elvis strongly because he connects with him on a personal level. His mother died of cancer when he was 23 years old. Elvis’ mother also passed away when the 'Unchained Melody' singer was 23 years old, as reported by El País.

Photo: Still from 'Elvis' Trailer, Warner Bros.

The actor has been playing guitar and studying music since he was 13 years old. He also sings in the film as young Elvis. For the later, Las Vegas years, his voice is mixed with real Elvis performances.

Photo: Still from 'Elvis' Trailer, Warner Bros.

When he first started acting, Austin Butler was known for his blonde hair. The actor is a natural blonde, but in order to portray Elvis Presley, he dyed his hair black.

Yes, both Austin and Baz spoke with Priscilla Presley and they even attended the screening of Elvis together at the Cannes film festival. According to GQ, Priscilla embraced Austin and told him he had all their support.

Nobody less than Tom Hanks - playing Elvis' manager, the mysterious and controlling Colonel Tom Parker. Maggie Gyllenhaal also stars in the movie. And so does Olivia DeJonge (photo), with whom he was allegedly in a relationship during filming, if we have to believe the gossip columns.

He was in a long-term relationship with fellow actress Vanessa Hudgens but that sadly ended in 2020. He has also been spotted out with Lily-Rose Depp, but now he is dating model Kaia Gerber.

US Weekly cites a source who notes that Austin and Kaia became an unofficial couple in December 2021: "They are low-key dating. It's still very new." The model is Cindy Crawford’s daughter and 10 years younger than the actor.

Austin Butler has been praised for his performance and people in Hollywood expected to see the musical biopic actor taking home the big award for this performance. Just look at Joaquin Phoenix in 'Walk the Line' and Rami Malek in 'Bohemian Rhapsody.'

Photo: Still from 'Elvis' Trailer, Warner Bros.

While Butler didn't get the Oscar for 'Elvis' (he lost out to Brendan Fraser in 'The Whale'), it looks like the young talent will have other opportunities to score in Hollywood.

Photo: Still from 'Elvis' Trailer, Warner Bros.