Austin Butler talks 'delicious' Skyline Chili, riding go-carts while filming in Cincy

"The Bikeriders," a movie that was partially filmed in Greater Cincinnati and stars Austin Butler, hits the silver screen this month.

The Jeff Nichols-directed film, which tells the story of a 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club called the Vandals, debuts in theaters Friday, June 21. Nichols and photographer/filmmaker Danny Lyon co-wrote the script, inspired by Lyon's photo book of the same name about the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club.

In the film, English actor Jodie Comer, who plays Kathy, recounts her romance with motorcycle club member Benny, played by Butler. The latter is known for his roles in "Elvis," "Dune: Part Two" and "Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood." Tensions rise between Benny and the club's leader, Johnny (Tom Hardy), as the group becomes more involved in illegal activities.

The film also stars Michael Shannon, Boyd Holbrook and Damon Herriman.

The Enquirer sat down with Butler to discuss the upcoming movie, his time in the Queen City and Cincinnati-style chili. Here are a few highlights from the Q&A.

These excerpts have been edited for length and clarity.

Austin Butler on 'The Bikeriders' and filming in Cincinnati

Q: Can you tell me more about your character Benny? What drew you to this role?

Butler: Benny, he's an enigma. He was inspired by "The Bikeriders" book, which I don't know if you've seen, but it's a wonderful book. The thing that you see in the book that Danny Lyon shot is that you never see Benny's face. You see him from behind. You see the top of his head as he's leaning over a pool table. He is never interviewed in the book. So what we learn about him is all through what other people say about him. He's a lone wolf of a character and a man of few words. He's very stoic. Jeff talks about him as an empty cup that everybody wants to fill with their expectations of him, and he can't be filled with them.

He's torn at times between his loyalty and love of the club that Johnny starts and his relationship with Kathy. They have a magnetic connection that brings them together. But the thing about him that's fascinating to me is how he starts in both of those relationships just out of freedom. It's the freedom of getting into this group that doesn't have rules. It's this outlaw culture. Or with Kathy, it's just this connection that they have, and she gets on the back of the motorcycle and have a great time together. They share this legendary romance, but it's when people start imposing these rules upon the club or the relationship, that's when he wants to cut cord and go for freedom.

Q: I read that Nichols gave your character very little source material to work with. How did you develop your character essentially from scratch?

Butler: It started with conversations with Jeff, just figuring out where Benny fits into the tapestry of the story. ... Then I went into my imagination of what makes a person like Benny. What sort of childhood would he have had? What relationship does he have with his father and his mother? Does he have siblings, or does he not? All those sorts of questions that you ask yourself that start to create this fleshed-out human being. Then, figuring out in those moments of silence what does he actually believe? Because when he is silent, it's not because he doesn't have thoughts or opinions, he is just choosing not to say them.

Q: Do you have a personal connection to motorcycle culture? Did you know how to ride a motorcycle before the film?

Butler: My dad rode motorcycles all throughout my childhood, and my grandfather rode motorcycles. So they were a part of my childhood. My dad would throw me on the back, and we'd ride from Los Angeles to Arizona and back. Then, when I was about 15, my dad taught me how to ride a motorcycle. He took me to this parking lot and said, "All right, your turn."

Then, when this film came about, I knew that was going to be very important, particularly getting used to the different personalities of old motorcycles. ... You have to learn all the idiosyncrasies of the motorcycle. By the time I got on set, it felt like second nature.

Q: What was it like working with Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy and some of the other stars?

Butler: It was a joy. I was a big fan of theirs beforehand. Jodie and I had a wonderful time together. She's such a brilliant actor and just a great person. And Tom really surprised me. He has such an intensity about him. But he also has a very warm heart and is very kind. He has a lot of love in his heart and an incredible sense of humor. We had a great time on set.

Q: What did you think of Cincinnati?

Butler: I loved it. I had a great time. I have such fond memories of when we were in these giant packs of motorcycles and riding through the cornfields outside of Cincinnati. It was just beautiful. It was incredible. ... I got to explore a lot of Cincinnati on a motorcycle, so I had a great time.

Q: Did you get to explore the area during your downtime in between shooting?

Butler: A little bit. I can't remember the names of the restaurants that we went to, but my first time meeting Jodie, Jeff Nichols and I met Jodie at this restaurant in town and had a great meal. We went go-kart racing one day. I don't remember the name of the spot, but it was like some go-kart spot where there was ax throwing and go-kart racing and a rage room where you could break a bunch of stuff.

Q: I have to ask. Did you try our local dish, Cincinnati chili?

Butler: Skyline Chili? Yes. I did try it. It was delicious. ... I had, what was the spaghetti thing?

A three-way?

Butler: Yeah, that's hardcore. I'd eat it again.

Q: You're one of the biggest rising stars right now, and you've been in some huge roles with "Dune: Part Two," "Elvis" and now "The Bikeriders." Could you talk a bit about your journey in Hollywood thus far, especially since you started on Disney Channel?

Butler: I started very young. I started when I was 12, and I'm 32 now, so 20 years of many different types of projects. And I feel grateful for every one of them. They all taught me something, and I have a nostalgia for each of those chapters of my life. I feel very grateful for the period of time that I'm in right now, where I'm getting to work with people I've always dreamed of working with and getting to take on roles that are challenging, and scare me, and teach me something. I feel very lucky right now.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Austin Butler ate 'delicious' Skyline Chili while filming 'Bikeriders'