This week on The Filmmakers Podcast Giles Alderson and Dom Lenoir sat down with the star-studded cast of HBO and Sky Max’s highly anticipated Dune: Prophecy to discuss their journeys into the Dune universe.
This is what Emily Watson, Olivia Williams, Travis Fimmel, Jodhi May, Sarah-Sofie Boussnina and Chris Mason had to say.
Decades of Collaboration
Emily and Olivia reflected on their intertwined careers, which started decades ago.
“We were at the Royal Shakespeare Company together in the 90s, in Anna Karenina,” Emily shared, “but never in the same scene.” The chance to finally work closely with Emily was a career milestone for Olivia. “Our agent rang and asked, ‘Do you want to be in a show with Emily?’ It was an immediate yes.”
Their chemistry brought depth to their characters’ intense and turbulent relationship.
Developing The Dune Characters
The cast agreed that Dune: Prophecy has very complex characters.
Emily’s character, Valya, is bold and raw, shaped by a history of banishment and deceit. “She’s bold, fierce, vulnerable and raw because she’s so damaged. But she comes into contact with this cult leader who says ‘you’re very powerful, you’re very special’ and that’s a very dangerous thing to say to a damaged person.”
Sarah-Sofie echoed this sentiment, adding that the script drew her to the project. “I read the first episode and was blown away. The characters are written so you get to see so many different sides to every one of them. ”
Acting in the Dune Universe
Travis and Jodhi spoke about the challenges of bringing their respective characters to life.
“My characters are a mystery in the scripts,” Travis noted. “I wanted to get into people’s heads disrupt their thoughts and have them guessing.”
Jodhi praised the collaborative atmosphere on set. “We’ve been given freedom as actors to bring what we feel most to this character. To be given that blank slate is incredibly freeing for actors.’
Mentorship in the Industry
A recurring theme in the conversation was the importance of mentorship in the entertainment industry. Emily and Olivia shared their dedication to supporting younger actors on set.
“It’s not about acting skills,” Emily explained. “But about coping skills— how to be on a set, where everything moves quickly, and be calm, present and looking after each other.”
Olivia added that ‘as the senior person in the scene’ it’s important to “make sure that everybody in the scene gets their moment. Their close up.”
Behind the Scenes
On set, the physicality of their roles posed unique challenges. “A fun challenge was the physicality of the job,” Sarah-Sofie said. Chris followed up with “you’re training and then your adrenaline kicks in and you have to pull back.”
Travis reflected on the excitement of stepping into the Dune universe.
The scripts are “thought-provoking. The characters all have their voices and hidden agendas and one big riddle for the audience to figure out; with this amazing, spectacular, backdrop of the Dune universe.”
Working with Directors
Travis shared his perspective on creative freedom for actors, emphasising that he prefers directors who are willing to step outside the conventional, rather than delivering the same repetitive notes. “When a director trusts your instinct as an actor, that’s a great feeling,” Travis said, highlighting the collaborative nature of actor and director.
Jodhi added that giving actors the space to discover their own choices, with minimal yet meaningful direction can lead to far more captivating outcomes. “Give them one word. Let them discover something. It’s so much more interesting.”
It’s a Wrap
As they wrapped up, Sarah-Sofie emphasised the importance of persistence. “it is a tough industry, having work as an actor is a privilege.”
Chris encouraged actors to embrace every opportunity to grow. “I got advice from actor, Aidan Quinn; he said to do everything you can – a table read, poetry reading, if someone’s doing stand-up comedy… go and see it. You can never stop learning.”
For more behind-the-scenes insights, tune into the full episode here.