Austin Butler gushed about his encounter with Sting while promoting Dune: Part Two on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.
The 32-year-old actor in the highly anticipated sci-fi sequel plays Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, who also played Sting, 72, in the 1984 film directed by David Lynch, 78.
Jimmy, 49, as he peered over Austin’s work, revealed a quiet character of his and was surprised that he didn’t even look like him.
“I heard the director described your character as a psychopath swordmaster mixed with Mick Jagger,” Jimmy said.
Austin noted that Mick, 80, would go on to play Feyd-Rautha in director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s failed attempt to make a Dune movie in the 1970s, “which they called the best movie never made.”
Austin Butler gushed about his encounter with Sting while promoting Dune: Part Two on Monday on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC
“And then Sting obviously played the part in David Lynch’s,” Austin added.
Austin said he met Sting at the Dune 2 premiere in New York City on Sunday.
‘It was so surreal. …I was blown away by it,” Austin said.
Austin said Sting came up next and was “so sweet and just warm.”
“He said he still has the codpiece from the original and he’s going to dry clean it so I can wear it,” Austin said.
Jimmy asked how he got into character. Austin said he had never played a villain before and didn’t want to judge him.
“It was a lot of imagining what his childhood was like,” Austin said.
He said he simply imagined what it would be like to grow up with the character Baron Harkonnen as his father.
Sting and Austin will be seen at the premiere of Dune: Part Two in New York City on Sunday
“He said he still has the codpiece from the original and is going to dry clean it so I can wear it,” Austin said of Sting, shown in a still from the 1984 film Dune.
“I heard the director described your character as a psychopath swordmaster mixed with Mick Jagger,” Jimmy said
Austin noted that Mick, 80, would go on to play Feyd-Rautha in director Alejandro Jodorowsky’s failed attempt to make a Dune movie in the 1970s, “which they called the best movie never made.”
Austin said he watched the film in Mexico City with more than 4,000 screaming fans in the audience.
“I had never been in a movie with so many people,” Austin said. ‘It was incredible.’
Jimmy then played a clip from the new Dune movie.
Austin also admitted that he enjoyed going to movie theaters incognito to see fans’ reactions to his films.
‘I did that with Elvis. I’d like to put on a hat and go in the back,” Austin said. ‘If you feel it in the audience, that’s the best. I can’t wait to see this in IMAX.”
Dune star Zendaya, 27, was also supposed to be on the NBC talk show, but Austin revealed she was sick.
“She was supposed to be here tonight,” Austin said. ‘She is ill. Her voice is completely gone.’
“She was such a real trooper showing up at the premiere last night,” Austin said. ‘You would never know she was sick. She’s such a queen.’
“You guys met on the Disney channel,” Jimmy said.
“We overlapped a little bit,” Austin said. “But as kids we did this Teen Vogue thing together and she brought it up to me.”
Jimmy then played Austin and Zendaya’s 2012 interview for Teen Vogue.
Dune star Zendaya, 27, was also supposed to be on the NBC talk show, but Austin revealed she was sick
“I could be the first American James Bond,” Austin said in the clip. “I would do it with a British accent.”
‘What was I thinking?’ Austin said. ‘I grew up loving James Bond.’
Austin also took part in a Family Feud-themed skit called “Search Party.” Austin played on the team with Jimmy, producer Mark Ronson, Chance the Rapper and Quest Love against the band members of Kings of Leon. They had to complete what they thought was the end of an internet search.
Austin was asked “people like it best when you kiss there…” Austin guessed “at the bottom,” but Jared Followill, 33, wrote lips and won the points.