The Big Picture

Challenging scenes in Dune: Part Two, from emotional restraint to intense moments in the emperor’s tent. No deleted scenes for Florence Pugh, who plays a supporting role, while Zendaya talks about evoking emotion without crying. Zendaya recommends starting with her Disney Channel days before watching Dune, while Pugh suggests her film Fighting With My Family.

As the theatrical premiere of Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two nears, Collider’s Steve Weintraub was able to speak with the cast of the film about the behind-the-scenes and scenes we’ll never see. In this interview, Dune’s returning star Zendaya and newcomer to the series, Florence Pugh, share some challenging moments from script to screen.

In Dune: Part Two, the ripples of the rebellion that first began on Arrakis upon Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Lady Jessica’s (Rebecca Ferguson) arrival is felt across the Known Universe. The betrayal and assassination of Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) leaves the fate of the planet in the hands of the domineering Harkonnens. Paul and Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen people unite to face a war for their homes and way of life. The sequel also stars Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, and more.

During their interview, Zendaya and Pugh share some of the most challenging scenes to tackle, from the very first day of filming to the specifics of Chani as a character. They talk about deleted scenes, how much of Pugh we’ll actually get to see in Part Two, and their “twisted” filmographies that led to Dune.

You can watch the full interview in the video above, or you can read the transcript below.

Dune: Part Two Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Release Date March 1, 2024 Director Denis Villeneuve Runtime 166 minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Writers Frank Herbert , Jon Spaihts , Denis Villeneuve

COLLIDER: Listen, all I can say is congratulations on this. Denis is a fucking genius. Sorry for my language.

ZENDAYA: No, I agree.

FLORENCE PUGH: He is. He truly is.

My only complaint, and I brought it up with him in the interview, is that the movie is not four hours. I’m not joking around.

PUGH: I actually wouldn’t have minded another hour.

ZENDAYA: I could have kept going.

Florence Pugh Is in ‘Dune: Part Two” “So Sparingly”
Image via Warner Bros.

I’m being completely sincere, and he’s never going to release any deleted scenes. I’m curious, for both of you, was there any scene in Part One or Part Two that you’re sad didn’t make the final cut that you filmed?

PUGH: I was in it so sparingly I don’t think they could cut me out. [Laughs]

ZENDAYA: Could you imagine?

PUGH: That’s the best thing about playing a supporting role. You’re like, “I’ve really got to ace this scene because otherwise they’re just gonna snip me out.”

ZENDAYA: I feel you. [Laughs]

PUGH: So, I would think I was relatively saved.

ZENDAYA: I can’t think of anything that I was like, “Oh…” That’s the thing, is…

PUGH: I don’t think there was space for that, though.

ZENDAYA: There wasn’t space for that, yeah.

PUGH: Like, there was no space for any of the fat. What we shot was what we shot, and there was nothing to get rid of.

ZENDAYA: And anything that he probably did get rid of, clearly, we didn’t miss it. So, he knew what he was doing.

Except for my four-hour cut.

ZENDAYA: Yeah. We’ll get that.

Zendaya Couldn’t Cry While Filming ‘Dune: Part Two’
Image via Warner Bros.

So you see the shooting schedule, you know what’s in front of you. What is the day you have circled in terms of, “Oh my god, I can’t wait to film this,” or, “Oh my god, we have to film this?”

ZENDAYA: I had a few of those. Without giving too much away, there’s a ceremony of sorts, and I think for me, obviously, I was always thinking about this thing for the Fremen — you’re not supposed to waste water, and that includes crying. And even Stilgar, he says, “Don’t waste your water on the dead,” and things like that. So, it’s like wanting to evoke emotion but not being able to cry, and what does that mean? Because I’m used to just like, “Alright, well, let’s just cry!” And how do you just hold them right there and not let them fall?

PUGH: I didn’t even think about that. That is very, very intense.

ZENDAYA: And then you have to let them fall in a very specific moment. So you have to hold, and then they can only fall when a specific thing happens — without giving things away, then I’m allowed to let the tear fall. So it was, for me, just about holding on to her composure, but also being emotional. I remember there’s a scene where I accidentally cried, and then they got rid of it in post. So, yeah, things like that. How do you convey this emotion but also stay true to who the character is, and things that would be very true and honest for them? Those are the seeds.

PUGH: That’s a good one. For me, it was probably the scene in the emperor’s tent at the top where all of the Harkonnens come in and we just look at them from down the throne. Reading it, I was so excited, but I was like, “That room is going to be intense and it’s going to be amazing and exciting.”

ZENDAYA: I was excited about that.

PUGH: And then I think one that I was nervous about, but that kind of really naughty, excited nervous, was actually my first day shooting, which was the opening scene where she’s reading the diary. I was dead terrified about that. [Laughs]

ZENDAYA: I mean, the first day. You guys were also the first day of…

PUGH: Yeah, the first day of the shoot. And also, I knew that it was like the first page in the script, and I was like, “Wow, this is intense knowing that this is going to be opening the movie.” So that was high pressure.

Image via Warner Bros.

You guys have done so many cool roles in your career already. If someone has actually never seen anything you’ve done before, what is the first thing you’d like them watching and why?

PUGH: Oh my god. It depends. You could really shock them if you wanted to.

ZENDAYA: Yeah, I’m like, “That question could go a lot of ways.”

PUGH: How old are they? Dunno.

ZENDAYA: I’d start them off where I started off. I’d have to give them a Disney Channel moment.

PUGH: That’s good. Get them cozy. Pull them in.

ZENDAYA: Yeah, get them cozy, have some fun. Binge-watch a few seasons of Shake It Up or K.C. Undercover [laughs], and then we’ll jump to Dune. You know, range, if you will.

PUGH: [Laughs] Jump to Euphoria.

ZENDAYA: Yeah, she grew up.

PUGH: For me, I’m going to go easy on them because I could really twist the head if I wanted to. I’ll start with the same thing, I’m going to go cozy and cushy. I’ll give them a Fighting With My Family. I’ve give them that.

Dune: Part Two premieres in theaters March 1.

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