Kamal Ghorui
In a reflection on ‘Dune: Part Three’, Timothee Chalamet has described the upcoming finale of Denis Villeneuve‘s sci-fi trilogy as the “eeriest” chapter yet, revealing he approached the film with a new level of intensity.As per Variety, in an interview with CNN, Timothee Chalamet offered fresh insight into his portrayal of Paul Atreides. The third instalment of the franchise is set to open in theatres this December.Chalamet initially referenced performances by Matthew McConaughey in ‘Interstellar’, ‘Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight’ and ‘Marlon Brando’ in ‘Apocalypse Now’ while discussing the creative risks of large-scale films.However, he added, “Actually, wait, let me rephrase all of that! Hold up. I cannot put myself in that same boat,” he said, adding, “Let’s just say, it’s these big movies where you could sneak in something. A curveball.”The actor credited Oscar Isaac, who played Leto Atreides in the first ‘Dune’ film, as a major inspiration. “He treated it in a Shakespearean way- to play it heightened and not really care about it being heightened,” Chalamet said.Watching Isaac encouraged him to take “more liberty than ever.”Reflecting on his early experience with the franchise, Chalamet admitted he felt intimidated during the first film. “I felt kind of thrown by the futurism,” he said, noting that he had been coming off naturalistic dramas like ‘Beautiful Boy’ and ‘Call Me by Your Name’.“But especially on this third one, all the great stuff you see on screen is from freedom of movement and freedom of choice. And with Denis, we really had a good rhythm. It’s the eeriest one. It’s a big swing,” he said during a conversation with CNN.Chalamet also discussed revisiting the ornithopter sequence. “On ‘Dune 3,’ as opposed to the first movie, I came out early and studied the control panel- all sorts of hieroglyphics and things that aren’t tethered to reality. I wanted to know what each button did, and invent a dynamic for myself with it,” he said.After earning Oscar nominations for ‘Marty Supreme’ and ‘A Complete Unknown’, Chalamet said he felt creatively energised while filming.“Everything was sacred, and it was my last time doing a ‘Dune’ film,” he said, adding, “I didn’t want to be complacent about a single moment… I was more intense on the third one.”The town hall airs on CNN and streams on the CNN app on February 21 at 7 pm.
