Juggling two massive blockbusters at the same time is something that most Hollywood stars wouldn’t like to deal with. But for Robert Pattinson, last year has been a genuine test of survival as he bounced between Christopher Nolan’s epic ‘The Odyssey‘ and Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune: Part Three.’
Both of these sets have been notorious for being physically brutal, tough call to say which one actually pushed him harder. In a recent interview, the actor finally opened up about which movie truly pushed him to his absolute breaking point.
Robert Pattinson Chooses Between The Mythology And Sci-fi Adventure
Robert Pattinson and Zendaya have become close friends while working together on an unusually number of projects. These included the the A24 romance ‘The Drama,’ which came out earlier this year. Recently, they had role in ‘The Odyssey’ and now the will return with ‘Dune: Part Three.’
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So, they two have been a consistent pair at press events where they discuss how brutal each of these productions really was behind the scenes. During one such event, Zendaya asked Pattinson which of them, ‘Dune: Part Three’ or ‘The Odyssey,’ was more challenging to shoot.
Without pausing, Pattinson chose Villeneuve’s movie over Nolan’s. However, the reason for this was quite unexpected and had nothing to do with the storyline, acting, or other elements. It had to do with the fact that filming took place in a desert. Because of the location, there was a special rule that Pattinson had to follow.
“Probably Dune, yeah, and they’re like ‘Can you stop sweating?’ and I’m like ‘We’re in the desert, I sweat in England,'” he said. Turns out, the production team told him that he “cannot have one drop of sweat or it ruins the take.”
The fact that Pattinson acted through it when something as natural as sweating had become an occupational hazard is pretty impressive. But guess what? There was another challenge that he had to take on while filming.
Pattinson Paid The Price Of Being A Shape-Shifter
Right after Pattinson’s reply, Zendaya pointed out how he was required to wear quite a lot of special makeup. Therefore, even a simple sweating problem made it necessary to retake a scene. For avoding a continuity slip, he had to go through a three-hour makeup routine typical of the franchise.
In Case You Missed It: “He’s a Complete Psycho”: Robert Pattinson’s Hilarious Reaction To Matt Damon’s ‘The Odyssey’ Ritual
And it had the potential to delay in the production. The same went for many characters in the series who required heavy prosthetic makeup work. Zendaya admitted that she felt pity for Pattinson during the whole process.
“I did feel bad for you because you were a trooper…I’ve never seen you so still in my life,” she said. Meanwhile, Pattinson joined the franchise quite unexpectedly. According to the actor, he just approached Zendaya and asked for help in landing a part.
Pattinson’s request worked as he received a phone call notifying him of his casting a few months later. In ‘Dune: Part Three,’ the ‘Tenet’ actor will take on Scytale, an antagonist who will be up against Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet.
Scytale is a Face Dancer, an alien shapeshifter from the Bene Tleilax faction that uses espionage and genetic engineering in order to create a complex conspiracy against the Emperor of Arrakis. The third installment is slated for release in theaters worldwide on December 18, 2026.
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