Zendaya Discusses Dune, Timothée Chalamet, and More in New Photoshoot
In a recent cover story for W Magazine, Zendaya strikes a series of ethereal poses and discusses everything from Dune to film anxiety to acting spontaneity.
The ‘Directors Issue,’ conceptualized by French Canadian filmmaker Dennis Villeneuve, was released this Thursday and features a variety of futuristic shots of the Hollywood starlet. A homage to David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth, Villeneuve wanted Zendaya to embody a celestial lifeform discovering our decrepit planet thousands of years from now.
Villeneuve’s abstract direction of the ‘Future Human’ shoot reflects that of Oscar-nominated Dune. In both cases, Zendaya’s presence was vital. “People will believe in Arrakis if they believe in Zendaya,” Villeneuve stated when discussing the film, “And Zendaya killed it.”
It was Villeneuve’s vehement dedication to creating believable characters that drew Zendaya to the role. “It’s so hard to find the heart in something really, really massive,” she admitted when discussing Dune’s magnitude, “And there’s no person better at that than Denis.”
When preparing to take on the role of Arrakis, Zendaya felt slightly anxious. Science fiction series’ often come alongside a fiery fanbase, so the pressure to live up to expectations is paramount. Not only that, the 25-year-old actress was nervous about her audition with Timothée Chalamet because of a recent wisdom teeth removal. “My biggest fear was that my mouth would be vile,” she revealed, “And then I would have to do a scene with Timothée where we have to be really close, and he would smell my possible dry socket breath.”
Luckily, the audition went smoothly and filming even more so. Villeneuve encouraged Zendaya to step out of her comfort zone and experiment with her character. While she’s not a fan of spontaneity in real life, she thrives in make-believe settings. “It’s funny, because that’s why I love acting so much,” she told W, “It’s the one space in which I can feel safe being spontaneous, because I’m not myself; I’m someone else. There are no consequences.”
Despite Zendaya’s Arrakis receiving a mere seven minutes of screen time in Dune, she’ll be a key character in the second installment, which is set to release in October 2023. After the smashing box office success of Spider-Man: No Way Home and a history-making season of Euphoria, we can’t wait to see what she has in store for Dune: Part II.
