Timothée Chalamet has reflected on the growth he has shared with his Dune character Paul Atreides. Chalamet portrayed the young Paul Atreides in the hugely successful Denis Villeneuve science fiction movie Dune, adapted from the seminal novel by Frank Herbert.
Paul Atreides is the leading character in the sci-fi action movie, and will be leading up the sequel Dune 2 as well, which has began filming back in July. Chalamet shot Dune 3 years ago, in 2019, and looks set to continue shooting the Dune 2 into 2023, with a November 2023 release date. By the time the actor has finished his work on the film, he will have spent close to four years in Frank Herbert’s world of Arrakis.
Now, speaking to Homme Girls, Chalamet has opened up on the links between the growth of his character Paul Atreides, and the ways in which he has changed too. Chalamet said “It’s fascinating [to reflect on the passage of time]. And it’s something you don’t get to do with movies. Revisit. Actually though, I’m feeling that with Dune. Speaking about how cycles match life.”
He went on: “I was younger when I did it the first time and was kind of blindsided by how big that movie was. And now, as Paul Atreides becomes more sure on his heels, I feel more sure on my heels, too.”
Both fans of Chalamet himself (and he has many) and Dune will be interested in the actor’s comments. Chalamet has generally stayed away from big franchises and popcorn blockbusters, so he’s right to say that he hasn’t had many chances to revisit characters outside of Paul Atreides.
The comments are also interesting with regard to the story of Paul Atreides himself. Anyone familiar with the novel will know that Paul becomes the leader of the Fremen and leads their uprising against the Harkonnens. During this time, the character becomes increasingly confident in his own powers and wields them to great (and disastrous) effect. The Dune 2 movie will likely follow this closely, which seems corroborated by Chalamet’s comments.
You can see Timothée Chalamet before Dune 2 when he returns to screens with the gory drama movie Bones and All, which will arrive in theatres on November 23. Our own Emma-Jane Betts reviewed the movie, describing it as a “heart-wrenching triumph”.