Filmmaker Denis Villeneuve knew well that the success of ‘Dune: Part Two‘ would largely depend on the electric chemistry between Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya as well as Austin Butler’s menacing portrayal of Feyd-Rautha.
At the Deadline‘s Contenders Film event, Villeneuve underlined how an off-screen friendship between Chalamet and Zendaya kept changing and how that fact played a big role in the on-screen development of Paul Atreides and Chani’s love story. Here’s everything he said.
Denis Villeneuve Talks About Timothée Chalamet And Zendaya’s Chemistry
According to Denis Villeneuve, the director of the ‘Dune‘ franchise, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya first met each other on the shooting schedule of ‘Dune: Part One‘, and their connection while on the promotional tour only made them grow closer. This helped seal an air of authenticity when portraying the relationship of the leads in the second movie.
“Their relationship became a deeper meaning-they’re close friends,” Villeneuve said. “For me, it’s a tremendous help because Jon [Spaihts] and I structured the whole story on their relationship. I put all my chips on that,” he added.
Villeneuve even ran early camera tests with Chalamet and Zendaya just to ensure the connection was indeed translating to the screen. “It wasn’t about testing her skill-she’s an incredible actress. It was to see how their relationship would feel on camera. And it was an amazing experience,” he added.
Denis Villeneuve Praises Austin Butler As The Sadistic Feyd-Rautha
But it was not just the romantic chemistry between Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya that Denis Villeneuve zoomed into. The director lauded Austin Butler as the sadistic Feyd-Rautha, a mix between rock star Mick Jagger and a sociopathic killer.
“Austin did an incredible job. We did a rehearsal together almost like a dancer, to find the character through movement. To reach that level of psychopathy, we had to experiment,” the director said.
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He also alluded that there is an open space to do a third ‘Dune‘, and touched on Frank Herbert’s impulse to deal with the white savior narrative which has been wrongly applied to Paul Atreides’ tale. “It’ll be a totally different object,” Villeneuve said. “I always felt it would be a great idea to finish the story and make sure Frank Herbert’s initial desires are fulfilled.”
As ‘Dune: Part Two’ promises to further the suspense, it’s evident that Villeneuve has written the sequel with care, completely leaving the groundwork to the chemistry and performances of his actors.
