Dune it again: Timothée Chalamet on the love factor in the sci-fi sequel
Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in Dune: Part Two, which opens on Friday in Irish cinemas.
With action sequences galore, the return of director Denis Villeneuve’s much-anticipated Dune: Part Two will have you on the edge of your seat.
But the follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning film Dune has another important element at its core: a love story.
And ask the film’s star, American and French actor Timothée Chalamet, about its significance and he’s crystal clear that it’s an “extremely important” part of the film’s central story.
Based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name and set in the distant future, the second instalment of Dune sees the forces of good and evil battling for control, and also explores humanity’s relationship with nature and the survival of society.
The highly-anticipated follow-up from French-Canadian filmmaker Villeneuve sees Paul Atreides, played by Chalamet, unite with Chani, portrayed by Zendaya, and the Fremen to take revenge on those who conspired to destroy his family.
The son of the murdered ruler Duke Leto Atreides and the mystical Bene Gesserit Lady Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson, Paul’s journey sees him reunite with friends and foes from the first instalment.
Spanish actor Javier Bardem reprises his role as Stilgar, and Josh Brolin is back as Gurney Halleck, the former weapons master of House Atreides.
British actress Florence Pugh, 28, makes her debut as Princess Irulan, daughter of the supreme ruler of the galaxy, the Emperor, played by Oscar-winner Christopher Walken.
Another newcomer for the second film is Oscar-nominated Elvis star Austin Butler, who stars as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the bald, bloodthirsty nephew of Stellan Skarsgard’s Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, and the brother of Glossu Rabban, played by Dave Bautista.
“The love story in this film is sort of the heart of it. It’s sort of, in some elements, some aspects, the most important part because without it, every great story, every great movie needs an emotional centre, this one happens to be the emotional centre in this one,” says Chalamet, who was also recently seen on screen in Paul King’s musical spectacular, Wonka, in the lead role as Willy Wonka.
“So it was extremely important. It was sort of the trickiest dynamic to find with Zendaya and with Denis (Villeneuve) because of the nature and the tone of the movie, you know you want it to feel contemporary, but it couldn’t be otherworldly. So it was a tricky thing to find. But I’m proud of the job we did there,” Chalamet says.
The film marks Paul’s first encounter with Butler’s villainous Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen and the duo eagerly share how they felt inspired watching each other work.
“Just from the original cast Zoom with Austin and seeing how he was channelling the spirit of the Baron Harkonnen and the spirit of Stellan Skarsgard. And simply by way of being impressed, it was inspiring and made me want to do justice to House Atreides and do justice to Duke Leto in the way that I saw Austin doing justice to the Baron,” says Chalamet.
“I felt the same way,” says Butler. “I had the great fortune of being able to see Dune: Part One, so I was able to see Timothee’s commitment there. And then that first Zoom and where we read the entire script, and seeing how he had charted Paul’s journey now and the gravitas and the power that he brought to that, it was incredibly exciting. And it just made me so thrilled to get to go on this journey with him.” The 32-year-old American star is seen with a bald head, no eyebrows and a very pale complexion in his role as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen, the same character portrayed by musician Sting in the 1984 adaptation of Dune.
Butler is no stranger to on-screen transformations, having spent two years preparing for his role as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis, which saw him earn Bafta and Golden Globe wins, and a best actor Oscar nomination.
Speaking about not recognising himself in the mirror when playing his Dune character, Butler said: “In a way, the further that I looked from myself, the more freeing it became.
“Because then it helped me to just leave the rest of the world to the side and just live in this world of Dune.” The past few weeks have seen the cast touring the world to promote the film, which had been set for release late last year, but was postponed following the Sag-Aftra US actors’ strike at the time.
Being able to work with Euphoria star Zendaya again in Dune: Part Two led to the pair becoming good friends, Chalamet says.
“Zendaya is strong, like Chani, in many ways. We only had a couple of days working together on the first film, but we became quite close and good friends after that,” he explains.
“I think the friendship that had grown between the films helped us grow Paul and Chani for this one. It was a wonderful experience to get to work with the actor she’s become – she’s firing on all cylinders!
“She was a real partner in crime and I’m grateful we had such a great experience.” American actress and singer Zendaya, 27, who will next be seen in tennis drama Challengers, says her Dune character is “a lot tougher” than she is.
“I was constantly in that battle with Chani between her mind and her heart, all the time. I think she’s a lot tougher than I am, by far – she would kick my ass!” the actress, who is dating Spider-Man star Tom Holland, says.
“She has such strength, which I admire, and such a passion for the betterment of her people, looking out for her people, taking care of her loved ones and her planet, which means more to her than anything.”
She adds: “I love very hard as well, and I have a much easier job than she does because I’m not a space warrior, but I think in whatever I do, I try to do it with the best sense of heart and integrity.”
Villeneuve, whose other credits include Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario and Prisoners, says the film was “designed for audiences to see in the cinema, with the big screen and the proper sound, together – the most powerful way to enjoy movies.”
He says of working with Chalamet again: “It’s the first time in my life as a director that I worked with an actor who was growing up in front of the camera, evolving, learning about life. It was really moving for me to work with Timothee again, to see how much more confident he got.
“In Part One, Timothee was learning how to find his focus in such a large production, as a leading man. He brought a strong spirit on set, and I was very proud of the powerful transformation he brought in front of the camera.
“It was very moving for me to see how, in Part Two, he was able to create the evolution of Paul Atreides that goes from a boy to a dark figure.”
- Dune: Part Two is in cinemas from Friday, March 1
