Fast-rising star Florence Pugh (Black Widow, Midsommar) has opened up her about role in the greatly-anticipated Dune: Part Two. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Pugh spoke about what it was like working on the sequel to the sci-fi epic, which has a cast of some of the biggest young names working in Hollywood today.
Pugh is just one of several highly in-demand young actors who will appear in the movie, alongside returning cast members Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, as well as fellow new addition (and recent Oscar nominee) Austin Butler. Speaking recently with Vanity Fair, Pugh discussed the joys of working on the film alongside other gifted performers with quickly-ascending careers:
"It’s actually an interesting point because for the majority of my career I’ve worked with lots of older actors that I’ve had to pinch myself for working with. I’ve learnt a lot just by watching. To do 'Dune' with those specific actors at the front, like Timmy [Chalamet] and Zendaya and Austin [Butler]—they are remarkable people, number one, and unbelievable actors, number two. They’re stars in their own ways, not in the cliché way of using the word. They’re just—they’re sparkly people. I’m now lucky enough to call them all my friends, which is super exciting. For me to be able to work with the 'young Hollywood' of the moment, and them being beautiful people, and then have them on my phone when I want to text them—to see that that’s the direction in which our industry is going is such a wonderful feeling.
Director and co-writer Denis Villeneuve's sequel will be adapted from the second half of Frank Herbert's highly-influential 1965 epic sci-fi/fantasy novel. Pugh will play the pivotal part of Princess Irulan, daughter of Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), the supreme ruler of the entire galaxy (fans of auteur David Lynch's 1984 take on the book will remember the role as being portrayed by a then-unknown Virginia Madsen).
Villeneuve's Dune, released in 2021, received ten Academy Award nominations, including nods for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. It ultimately won six Oscars, including Best Cinematography (for Greg Fraser), Best Editing (for Joe Walker), and Best Score (for Hans Zimmer). Given the film's acclaim, it's little wonder that Dune: Part Two is one of 2023's most highly-anticipated films. That anticipation is surely only amplified by the movie's plethora of blossoming thespians.
In addition to the aforementioned actors, the cast also includes Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Léa Seydoux, Charlotte Rampling and Tim Blake Nelson. The screenplay was once again co-written by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts (Prometheus, Passengers).
Dune: Part Two is currently scheduled to hit theaters on November 3, 2023. In a recent interview with Collider, Bautista promised that Dune: Part Two will be "so much more amped up than the first film." You can check that interview out below: