Prepare to be blown away
The director and stars tell us what to expect from the more visceral, muscular and emotional ‘Dune: Part Two’
Initially scheduled for release last year but delayed by the Hollywood strikes, the second part of director Denis Villeneuve’s epic adaptation of Dune, the sci-fi classic by Frank Herbert, has finally arrived on screens around the world.
Tymon Smith spoke to Villeneuve and the cast about where Dune: Part Two finds the characters and what audiences can expect from the second of the planned trilogy of films. What was it like to return to the world of Dune, two years after the first film?
Villeneuve: I never left Arrakis. We went from part one straight into pre-production. It’s not a sequel, it’s really a second part. We wanted to bring it to the world as soon as possible. My team and I made sure to physically create as much of the world as possible. I’m inspired by reality because I come from the documentary world. I couldn’t have made this world in a virtual environment, I love tangibility. It sparked so much imagination on set and it helped the actors focus on their inner journey without having to imagine what’s out there. I worked with one of the best teams to create this world. Where do we find Paul Atreides in this instalment?
Timothée Chalamet: In the first film, Paul Atreides is a privileged young man, the son of a duke behind royal walls. Over the course of the first film, he goes through personal tragedy and has to grow from that. In this film, he becomes the man he’s destined to be in ways he doesn’t want to be: overcoming his fear of love, his fear of where his place lies with the Fremen. The first movie laid the foundation, and this one has action; it’s epic and, for Paul, there’s growth.
How does Chani feel about Paul and the expectations placed on him by the Fremen, who believe he may be “the one”?
Zendaya: She doesn’t believe in Paul in the way everybody else does and, if anything, that makes it more difficult for her to open herself to the concept of loving, especially him. So when she does eventually start to let him into her life and into her world, it means more. She believes in the person she meets — not the messiah, not the prophecy, but the person.
What was it like to play the new characters of Princess Irulan and Feyd-Rautha?
Florence Pugh (Princess Irulan): One of the most obvious things about this story is there’s so much noise elsewhere, there’s so much rage and passion and love and volume. Coming from the most powerful people in the world, wouldn’t it be interesting to have the flip of that and have someone who’s calm and still and thoughtful? I loved the idea of being able to play that. I’ve never played anybody like her before — I’m usually jumping to the loud, opiniated, bolshie women.
Austin Butler (Feyd-Rautha): Paul and Feyd are flipsides of the same coin so I’m exploring my own shadow self and challenging myself. It was so different from anything I’ve ever done. There’s so much room for play because the character is different from me, and he does things I wouldn’t allow myself to do in everyday life.
One of the moments fans are looking forward to is Paul riding a sandworm. What did it take to create that?
Villeneuve: It’s by far the most complex sequence I’ve ever done. It took teamwork to film it because it required a lot of time. I didn’t want to compromise. I was looking for a specific viscerality and speed and for it to have an edge to it. I wanted my mother to absolutely believe that Paul was riding the worm. So I created a technique to conquer them. We know the worms are attracted by the thumper but after that I had to imagine how Paul would control them. It took us months to design, research, develop and put on screen.
Chalamet: It took three months to shoot. There was an entire unit dedicated to that sequence. Without giving away too much of what goes on in “the kitchen ”— there was sand blowing in the face and an industrial rig, and it was as violent an experience as it appears in the movie.
What are you most excited for audiences to experience? Zendaya: When you leave the theatre, you’re blown away and speechless. The way that Denis created an environment in which everybody would feel involved and that their ideas were appreciated. That brings the best work out of everyone. You can see the cast’s love, creativity and inner child being expressed. - BDLive