Austin Butler Calls “Dune” Costar Zendaya a 'Queen' as He Recalls How They Crossed Paths as Kids
The young stars met on the set of a 'Teen Vogue' shoot back in 2012
Austin Butler and Zendaya have come a long way since their days on Disney Channel.
On Monday, the Elvis actor, 32, stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to discuss his upcoming sci-fi action film Dune: Part Two.
While speaking with the host, Butler noted that his costar was supposed to make a joint appearance with him, but Zendaya, 27, was not feeling well.
“Her voice is completely gone,” Butler said, calling her “such a trouper” for still attending the film screening the night prior. He also called her "such a queen."
Fallon, 49, then asked how the two movie stars became acquainted with each other. "You guys met on the Disney Channel?” the host asked.
Butler clarified that the two actors instead “kind of overlapped at that time.”
Both he and Zendaya appeared on teen sitcoms, with the Euphoria actress starring as the titular character on Disney’s K.C. Undercover from 2015 to 2018. She was also a main cast member on Shake It Up on the same network from 2010 to 2013.
In addition to Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place series, Butler also appeared in projects like the 2011 film Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, as well as Nickelodeon shows.
He added that Zendaya recently reminded him that they “did this Teen Vogue thing together as kids,” and that’s where they first met. Fallon surprised Butler with a behind-the-scenes clip from that 2012 magazine shoot.
The clip showed the actor saying if he could be cast in any iconic role, he’d like to be “the first American James Bond,” but that he’d “do it with a British accent.”
Once the clip was done playing, the cameras cut back to Butler, who was covering his face in embarrassment as Fallon playfully laughed. “What was I thinking?” Butler quipped.
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Earlier in the interview, Fallon read rave Dune: Part Two reviews from people who have attended screenings, and showed his guest and the audience a photo of Butler in character.
In the film, he stars as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, a member of the family that killed Paul Atreides’ (Timothée Chalamet) father in the first installment.
“It’s frightening. You’re scary in this,” Fallon said.
Butler added that at the New York City premiere he met musician Sting, who played the same role in the 1984 version of the film directed by David Lynch.
"I met him last night, he came to the premiere. It was so surreal. My mind was blown. He's the best," Butler said.
The 2024 film is directed by Denis Villeneuve. Chalamet and Zendaya return for the sequel, alongside new faces like Butler, Christopher Walken and Florence Pugh.
According to the film's synopsis, Dune: Part Two "will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides [Chalamet] as he unites with Chani [Zendaya] and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee."
Dune: Part Two is in theaters Friday.
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