Chalamet: ‘Dune has both artistic and mass appeal’
Madrid, Sep 16 (EFE).- Timothee Chalamet, the star of the film adaptation of “Dune” directed by Denis Villeneuve that is hitting theaters worldwide this week, says the movie has both artistic and commercial appeal in equal measure.
“I don’t think this is easily categorizable,” Chalamet told Efe at the Venice Film Festival. “I think it’s equally arthouse and has the engagement of a ‘bigger film’, but it’s Denis Villeneuve film, too. And he’s made films like ‘Arrival’ (2016), that were engaging on a mass level, but he’s also made films like ‘Enemy’ (2013) (…) which is weird as hell (…) in a beautiful way.”
The actor, who shot to fame in “Call Me by Your Name” (2017) and has quickly become one of the leading stars of his generation, described how Christopher Nolan’s films such as “The Dark Knight” and “Inception”, “films you’d see in a big theater that was packed full of people but that were artful, still engaging, the pace wasn’t slowed down.”
In his opinion, there are few directors capable of finding “that sweet spot” like Nolan and Villeneuve, as well as Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg.
“Dune”, based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 science fiction novel, tells the epic tale of Paul Atreides (Chalamet), son of Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac) and the priestess Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) who must overcome his fears and fight against the dark forces that have led him to Arrakis, an arid planet inhabited by the Fremen tribe.
Zendaya plays a leader of that tribe, although her part in Villeneuve’s film, which focuses on the first part of the book, is small and she is expected to play a more prominent role in a more than likely sequel.
The Californian actress, who has also become a star of her generation thanks to the series “Euphoria”, had previously participated in two installments of another blockbuster, “Spiderman”, but says that this experience has been more immersive.
“In the sections that I worked on (…), it felt like I had landed on the planet, and there wasn’t one blue screen,” she said.
Zendaya believes one of the film’s best attributes is that it succeeds in introducing the spectator to the complex world that Herbert imagined without having to provide too many explanations to members of the audience who have not read the books.
“Even people who maybe didn’t used to like science fiction, I think will gravitate towards it just because there is such a human connection to it. It does feel fantastical and otherworldly, but it also does feel timely and feels like something about humanity,” she said. EFE
