Interview: Austin Butler about love and his new film “The Bikeriders”.

Jeff Nichols’ new film “The Bikers” is a fictional narrative featuring characters based on some of the original bikers featured in Danny Lyon’s photographic and oral history of a 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club – the Vandals.

Jodie Comer plays the female lead, Kathy, and much of her narrative style was adapted from the real Kathy’s recorded interviews with Lyon (portrayed by Mike Faist in the film).

Austin Butler stars alongside Comer (and Tom Hardy as Johnny) and says of his role as Benny: “He fell out with his family and became a loner. But there’s something in every person that needs companionship. When he found the Vandals, he found a father figure in Johnny and companionship with all the guys. He and Kathy get married very quickly, but he’s always got one foot out. He doesn’t want anyone to need anything from him, but Kathy wants him to stop riding and leave that life behind, and Johnny needs Benny to take over the gang.”

For Butler, who grew up with motorcycles (his father and grandfather both rode), this was a dream project. “When I was 16, my dad decided it was time for me to learn to ride, so he just put me on a motorcycle in a parking lot. After talking to Jeff about this role, I started riding motorcycles all the time. Then when I was in Australia filming ‘Elvis,’ I met a guy who fixed up old Harleys, and we rode motorcycles together. That was my first time on an older motorcycle. It helped me prepare for the film… We all built a bond by training together. Jeff Milburn, our wonderful motorcycle stunt coordinator, brought these incredible vintage motorcycles that are so different from riding a modern motorcycle. We had to practice a lot on them to get comfortable. Most of the motorcycles you see in the film are his personal motorcycles, including the motorcycle I ride. I really learned so much about motorcycles from Jeff. We rode for hours together, even months before we started filming. When production started and we were all together and you could hear the engines roaring – moments like that, you know, when you look over and see Tom and Karl (Glusman) and Toby (Wallace) and all the guys – it was really incredible.”

Coup De Main caught up with Butler when he was in Sydney recently to talk about love at first sight, taking personal responsibility and his love of pottery…

COUP DE MAIN: The last time we spoke was on set in New Zealand when you were filming The Shannara Chronicles… now you’ve traded in your elf ears for motorbikes!
AUSTIN BUTLER: Yes! What a throwback. Nice to see you again.

CDM: Benny loves riding more than anything and the freedom he has on the road. Is there anything in your life that is very dear to you, similar to how Benny loves riding?
AUSTIN: Yes, there are many. The first thing that comes to mind is my dog. I love my dog ​​so much.

CDM: You and Jodie Comer have incredible chemistry on screen, so it’s really believable that Benny and Kathy have an instant connection. Do you believe in love at first sight?
AUSTIN: I definitely believe in an intense connection at first sight and maybe even love at first sight. But I think love is a living thing that needs to be nurtured. It deserves nurturing.

CDM: You have to be actively involved – you can’t just be passive.
AUSTIN: Do you believe in love at first sight?

CDM: I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ll let you know when it happens. What do you think Benny sees in Kathy? And what attracts him to her?
AUSTIN: I think they’re naturally attracted to each other – because I think he feels an attraction when he sees her from across the room, and she’s different somehow. Then when you get closer and you see that sparkle in her eyes and all those unspoken things, I think it’s incredibly compelling.

CDM: It’s love at first sight.
AUSTIN: Yes, I think so, too.

CDM: At one point in the film, Benny mentions to Johnny that one of the differences between them is that Johnny is an adult with a house and a job. What does adulthood mean to you?
AUSTIN: One is about taking responsibility – taking responsibility for your own decisions. As a child, you can always rely on your parents to do things for you and they can take responsibility for a lot of things. So it’s about taking responsibility and not making yourself a victim in your mind and not fooling yourself, but taking responsibility for your own decisions.

CDM: One of the big themes of this film is finding community in a subculture and expressing yourself through that. Jeff Nichols has talked about experiencing life in a punk rock community in the mid-90s. Have you ever personally felt drawn to a subculture?
AUSTIN: I definitely felt that with motorcycle culture; I felt that a lot. I try to think about whether these are really subcultures, but music and my music friends, and making music together and being in that world. I also like to feel like a chameleon, so when I’m with my motorcycle friends, that’s all I think about. If that changes… when I was in London it was pottery, I was really into throwing clay and making pottery, so that’s very different, but… would you call that a subculture? I had a lot of friends who did pottery back then.

CDM: It’s funny that you bring up pottery because I recently interviewed the cast of Challengers and Josh O’Connor told me all about his ceramics and pottery obsession.
AUSTIN: Oh! Does he? Does he really?
CDM: He’s really into it! It’s his main thing, so maybe you should get together and do some pottery.
AUSTIN: I don’t think I’ve ever met Josh. I’m trying to think if we’ve ever really… I know so many people who know him, obviously Z and that connection with Mike Faist, but I got to talk to him about it. It’s really cool.

CDM: That brings me to my next question. When your co-star Mike Faist was asked to describe you, he hilariously said, “Oh, he sucks.” Would you like to give Mr. Faist an official answer?
AUSTIN: This is hilarious. “Oh, he sucks.” Mike in interviews is my favorite subject. “I love Mike Faist” – I think that’s my answer.

CDM: Katherine says that dating a vandal changes you… Did playing a vandal in this film change you in any way?
AUSTIN: I think it definitely sparked the rebellion in me as a child. I was a rebellious child and I spent a long time trying to unlearn that, and then the feelings on a motorcycle definitely sparked that in me again.

“The Bikeriders” is now playing in New Zealand cinemas.

Watch a trailer below…