News culture These two stars from “Dune Part 2” had to be separated on the set of Denis Villeneuve’s film “Reason to Smile”
When Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh signed their second on-screen collaboration, they struggled to maintain their seriousness on the set of Dune 2.
Popular actors of their generation, Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh both starred in Greta Gerwig’s 2019 feature film The Daughters of Doctor March, which w as particularly notable for the romance between their characters Laurie and Amy. Many were therefore delighted to see them in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, where Pugh plays Princess Irulan alongside Chalamet, the main character of the saga. Off camera, the two actors got along very well, to the point that there were sometimes problems during filming. Director Denis Villeneuve told TIME that Pugh, whom he describes as “mischievous,” and Chalamet had to be separated on set because they were acting boisterous when the cameras weren’t rolling.
“Despite her young age, she has energy and confidence. You feel like you’re working with someone who can go absolutely anywhere and do anything emotionally, as she does. The most subtle and precise thing there is. It’s a diamond in the rough.” – Villeneuve on Florence Pugh.
A character who is more present in the 3rd film
In an interview with Fandango, Florence Pugh described her character, the daughter of Emperor Shaddam, as “extremely different” from what she had played before.”She watches all the time, listens and waits,” she said, before appreciating the princess’s masterful calm. Her presence on screen is limited, but director Denis Villeneuve assures that she will play a much more important role in the sequel. This promise is reminiscent of the promise made to Zendaya, who made a brief appearance in the first film before becoming a central character. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Villeneuve explains:
“When I approached Zendaya about the first film, I told her, ‘I’m going to introduce your character and, if there’s a sequel, you’re going to be one of the main characters.’ I made the same deal with Florence. Her character will be introduced in the second part, but if there’s an adaptation of Messiah of Dune, it’s clear 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” below. 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 spoke to Denis, he kept apologizing and saying, ‘It’s not a really big role in this film. I won’t be offended if you refuse.’ I said, ‘I don’t care! I just want to watch you work.'”‘”
