TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET I S PAUL ATREIDES

How much did you rely on Frank Herbert’s novel to understand more about who Paul was? Absolutely. When you’re lucky enough to work on something with a book as source material, it’s the best cheat code. There’s a blueprint right there in front of you. On the day, you just let go of all of your prep work and trust in Denis. But it did feel like taking authorship of this character. I felt close to Paul Atreides and close to this story. I have excitement to do another one.

We’ll see more of Zendaya’s Chani in Dune: Part Two. What did you make of what she brought to the project?

She is Chani, and it’s incredible to witness. From the get-go, she was that character, and it was inspiring to see. I love the shot in the movie of Chani pulling the feels properly momentous. But even on the day, it was like, Holy shit, Chani has arrived.

There’s the book, and there have been other adaptations, but not only was the relationship between us alive in Jordan, and not only does it live on the screen chemistry read. It felt obvious.

Are you ready to head back to the desert for Part Two?

We were ready to do it back then [when we wrapped Part One]. These characters are far from their end points. It’s a dream come true to get to work with Denis once on a movie of this size. And it’s certainly a marathon and not a sprint, so you have to pace yourself. But you don’t want to be weary of having fun. Certainly, in the project I’m working on now [Paul King’s Wonka], I’m learning even more than you don’t have to suffer all day at work. How lucky are we to get to do this?