Why Timothée Chalamet Was 'Jaded' on 'Dune: Part Two' Set

Dune: Part Two director Denis Villeneuve and the film’s star, Timothée Chalamet, sat down with The New York Times to talk about the film, in theaters March 1. During their chat, Villeneuve explained why he found Chalamet to be “jaded” on the set of the blockbuster sequel.

Dune: Part One was Chalamet’s first foray into leading a Hollywood blockbuster after several years of acclaimed work in smaller movies. Because of this, and because Chalamet is close in age to his own children, Villeneuve admitted to being “paternalistic” towards the young star.

“At the beginning, I had a lot of empathy for Timothée that he was stepping forward in a production of that scale,” Villeneuve explained. “When he walked into the set of Part Two, it was totally different. Much more confident. Much more solid. He was not impressed by the size of things anymore,” the director told Chalamet.

“You were jaded!” Villeneuve said, half-seriously, to which Chalamet protested, “No!”

“I was grateful,” Chalamet said of Villeneuve’s attention on the first film. “The scale was so large, the actors were such titans. I felt a protected aura.”

Chalamet perhaps has some reason to be “jaded” at this point in his career, even if Villeneuve wasn’t entirely serious. Many critics and industry insiders were uncertain, prior to Part One, if Chalamet could carry a blockbuster.

Even after he proved he could with the film’s critical and commercial success, it remained unclear if Chalamet’s name alone could guarantee an audience. That changed last December with Wonka, a musical retooling of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which has been a surprise hit. The film, which stars Chalamet alongside lesser-known British actors, has grossed over $600M worldwide to date.

Villeneuve feels honored to be able to see Chalamet progress so far in his career in such a short amount of time. “It’s the first time that I had the chance to see an artist growing up in front of the camera,” the filmmaker told NYT. “That’s very moving.”

Dune: Part Two arrives in cinemas on March 1.