After the massive success of Oppenheimer in 2023, 2024 looks to be a year for the books once again for Florence Pugh. The talented British star will be seen in in the highly anticipated sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s impressive Dune. Pugh will join Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya in the 2nd installment in which she will play one of the iconic characters from the Dune novels, Princess Irulan.
Ahead of the film’s release in March, the Little Women star sat down for an informal chat with co-star Austin Butler who will play the antagonist in Dune 2. Among the many aspects of the film that they discussed, Pugh elaborated on the absence of Princess Irulan’s prominent face mask and explained the challenges it posed during filming which finally led to Villeneuve scrapping the accessory altogether.
Why Florence Pugh’s Princess Irulan Is Without A Mask In Dune 2
Florence Pugh is all set to impress audiences as Princess Irulan in Dune 2. The character who plays a pivotal role in the sequel, is portrayed as someone who is highly knowledgeable and perceptive with almost clairvoyant senses in Frank Herbert’s novel. Physically, Princess Irulan is instantly recognizable for her distinctive face mask.
But as it turned out, this defining feature of the character did not find its way into the final script. In a chat with co-star Austin Butler on Buzz Feed as part of the film’s promotions, Pugh elaborated on the various difficulties and challenges that came with fitting the mask on her face everyday before filming. The accessory which consisted of complicated processes like connecting chain links together, affected the filming schedule drastically, prompting Villeneuve to take a final decision.
”The mask that I wore got edited because it took so long to put on and and off that Den was like ‘get rid of it, get it off the face’. It took 45 minutes to get in and get out of because of the links”
To add to the Oppenheimer star’s woes, the mask was required to be completely dismantled and reassembled everytime she required a touch-up on her face. This extremely laborious process ultimately pushed the director to scrap the whole idea of a mask for the character of Princess Irulan.
Florence Pugh Was Fascinated By Princess Irulan For This Reason
Florence Pugh has made it a habit of portraying various versions of the strong woman in her impressive filmography. With an arresting presence and acting chops to match, the talented actor is quickly becoming every director’s favorite choice. Pugh will next be seen portraying Princess Irulan in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune 2 which is due to release in March.
Apart from being central to the plot, Pugh spoke about the unique traits of the character that she was excited to explore in the film. Speaking to SFX Magazine (via Games Radar), The Wonder star believed that Princess Irulan was different from all the memorable women she had played on screen for this reason.
“It’s funny, I was asked this morning, ‘Is she like any of the other feisty characters that I’ve played before? Whilst she may be internally, I think she’s probably one of the quietest characters I’ve ever played. She is someone that is constantly listening, and always learning, and that was something that I was so excited [about] when I was reading the script.”
Pugh also stated that there was a certain intrinsic awareness of self that Princess Irulan symbolized which attracted her even more to the character. She felt that playing someone who radiated power in this way was a challenge that she welcomed with open arms.
Dune 2 will release in theaters on March 15th, 2024.
