TURNING UP THE HEAT

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET, ZENDAYA AND AUSTIN BUTLER TALK ABOUT FRIENDSHIP, FIGHTS AND STEAMING UP THE DESERT IN THE SCI-FI SEQUEL

- JACK SMART

The Stars of Dune: Part Two

As fans of the critically acclaimed 2021 movie Dune: Part One prepare to embark on another extraterrestrial journey to the deserts of Arrakis in Part Two, its stars know expectations are sky-high. But Timothée Chalamet, who plays the messianic revolutionary Paul Atreides, was “relieved,” he says, to “come back and assume the full weight of what Paul has on his shoulders.” Writer-director Denis Villeneuve’s sequel, which completes the events of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi classic, sees Chalamet, 28, amassing armies to avenge his royal house’s destruction at the hands of Emperor Shaddam IV—played by new costar Christopher Walken. Also joining the cast is Elvis star Austin Butler, 32, who’s barely recognizable as Paul’s hairless, sadistic nemesis Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen. And after her all-too-brief appearance in Part One, Zendaya, 27, becomes an action hero as warrior Chani in a spectacular sequel that’s already raising the question: Will there be a Part Three? The trio, speaking to People amid a globe-trotting—and high-fashion—press tour, doesn’t know for sure. But “just as a fan watching,” Zendaya says, “I definitely am curious.”

Timothée and Zendaya, what was the vibe like on-set, returning to Arrakis?