Austin Butler reflects on filming scenes with 'intense' Tom Hardy for The Bikeriders as he joins Jodie Comer at a Q&A in New York
Austin Butler has reflected on filming alongside his 'intense' co-star Tom Hardy in The Bikeriders as he joined Jodie Comer for a Q&A in New York on Thursday.
Ahead of the film's release on Friday, the pair headed to a BAFTA New York Screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater where they discussed starring in the Jeff Nicholls drama.
The film, which is based on Danny Lyons' 1967 photobook of the same name, focuses on the midwestern motorcycle gang The Vandals, and its evolution from a tight-knit family to a violent syndicate.
Discussing his role in the film as young biker Benny, Austin admitted that there was one scene alongside Tom, who plays gang leader Johnny, which showed his 'brilliance' in displaying the intensity of their exchange.
He said: 'That scene, what's interesting about that scene was it was never written like that, and when we got there on set and just blocked out the scene he said ''right Tom you'll be sitting on the bike there and Austin will come up on the crutch and you'll stand six feet apart for that scene.''
Austin Butler has reflected on filming alongside his 'intense' co-star Tom Hardy in The Bikeriders as he attended a Q&A to promote the film in New York on Thursday
Ahead of the film's release on Friday, the actor joined Jodie Comer for a BAFTA New York Screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater
'We did it once like that, and then Tom walks up and gets as close as he does, and that's the proximity you don't normally get in your everyday life unless someone's going to kiss you!
'So, and he's an intense guy. and so he's holding that tension and Jeff talked about it because I couldn’t' see the shot, they're moving the camera and realising he's getting closer and closer, and then Tom his brilliance cocks his head at one point and it just hit perfectly so you could see his face.'
During the Q&A, Austin revealed the terrifying moment that he began filming one of his riding scenes, fearing that he could suffer a crash due to the faulty brakes.
He said: 'The brakes don't really work, so when you're coming down a bridge shot on the other side, I was just going ''God I gope this bike stops!''
Jodie also reflected on her role as Kathy, who is drawn into The Vandals' world after marrying Benny.
The Killing Eve star said: 'It was interesting because there's actually a lot of mystery about them.
'There were a lot of questions about their relationship that I didn't have the answers to, and again which I kind of embraced.
'I think for me with Kathy it was very clear that she fell in love with this man who had such a sense of freedom, he wasn't tethered to one thing, and I think we can all related to when you meet someone like that.'
Discussing his role in the film as young biker Benny, Austin admitted that there was one scene alongside Tom which showed his 'brilliance' in displaying the intensity of their exchange
In the film, Austin plays young biker Benny, while Tom plays The Vandals' leader Johnny
Jodie also reflected on her role as Kathy, who is drawn into The Vandals' world after marrying Benny
Channelling her on-screen alter-ego, Jodie opted for an oversized leather jacket as she attended the Q&A
The Bikeriders is based on a 1967 photo book of the same name by Danny Lyon, and first premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival last year in August
The Bikeriders is based on a 1967 photo book of the same name by Danny Lyon, and first premiered at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival last year in August.
Along with Jodie, Austin and Norman, other stars that were cast in the project also include Tom, Mike Faist and Michael Shannon.
The premise is: 'After a chance encounter, headstrong Kathy is drawn to Benny [Butler], member of Midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals.'
'As the club transforms into a dangerous underworld of violence, Benny must choose between Kathy and his loyalty to the club,' per an IMDB synopsis.
In regards to taking on the role of Kathy in the movie that is based on a real-life motorcycle gang, Jodie told Vanity Fair in February that The Bikeriders is 'told from her perspective.'
'I've been a massive fan of Jeff's for so long. I Zoomed with him when I was doing Prima Facie, and he sent me the script and he was like, "Just so you know, I have 30 minutes of audio of [the real-life] Kathy."'
Jodie added, 'When he sent me that, and I read the script, and I knew it was him directing it, I was just like, I have to do this. I was excited to try and get as far away from myself as I possibly could.'
