Culture news These 2 stars of Dune Part 2 had to be separated on the set of Denis Villeneuve’s film: reason ready to smile
Signing their second on-screen collaboration, Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh had difficulty maintaining their seriousness on the sets of Dune 2.
Popular actors of their generation, Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh both starred in the feature film The Daughters of Doctor March by Greta Gerwig in 2019, a film notable in particular for the romance developed between their characters, Laurie and Amy. Many were therefore enthusiastic to find them again in Dune: Part Two by Denis Villeneuve, where Pugh plays Princess Irulan alongside Chalamet, the main character of the saga. Off camera, the two actors got along very well, so much so that this sometimes caused some problems during filming. Director Denis Villeneuve told TIME that Pugh, whom he describes as “mischievous,” and Chalamet had to be separated on set because of their antics when the cameras weren’t on. And to still insist on all the seriousness they showed once it was necessary to work, describing Pugh as someone who “has the power of fire”. Pugh, for his part, confirmed this anecdote in an interview with Fandango, explaining that they had too much fun together.
“Despite her young age, she has energy and confidence. You feel like you’re working with someone who can absolutely go anywhere and do anything emotionally in the way she does. the most subtle and precise there is. It’s a diamond in the rough.” – Villeneuve regarding Florence Pugh.
A character more present in the 3rd film
Interviewed by Fandango, Florence Pugh described her character, the daughter of Emperor Shaddam, as “extremely different” of what she had played before. “She watches all the time, listens and waits,” she said, before saluting the princess’ masterful calm. Her presence on screen is limited, but director Denis Villeneuve assures that she will have a much more important role in the sequel. This promise is reminiscent of that made to Zendaya, who had a brief appearance in the first part before becoming a central character thereafter. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Villeneuve explains:
“When I approached Zendaya for the first movie, I told her, ‘I’m going to introduce your character and, if there’s a sequel, you’ll be one of the main leads.’ I made the same deal with Florence. Her character is introduced in the second part, but if there is an adaptation of ‘Messiah of Dune’, it is obvious that Princess Irulan will be one of the main characters.”
Despite her limited role in Dune: Part 2, Florence Pugh is destined to become “one of the most important characters” in the following. Villeneuve reportedly apologized to Pugh several times for the smallness of his on-screen role, a situation reminiscent of his role in Oppenheimer for which Christopher Nolan also apologized. Pugh said: “When I talked to Denis, he kept apologizing, saying, ‘In this film, it’s not really a big role. I won’t be offended if you refuse.’ I said, ‘I don’t care! I just want to come see you work.‘”