Rebecca Ferguson has spoken about some of the deleted scenes in Dune many times in the past and how she regretted them since they were her favorite sequences. Still, the actress believes the director has his reasons for omitting them.
The Swedish star plays Lady Jessica Atreides in the film, the mother of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. Based on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel of the same title, 2021’s Dune almost revealed the true relationship between her character and Baron Harkonnen.
Rebecca Ferguson On Her Favorite Deleted Scene From Dune
While speaking with ReelBlend Podcast, actress Rebecca Ferguson revealed one of her favorite scenes from Denis Villeneuve’s Dune that was shockingly removed in the final cut. The star admitted seeing the footage of it, where Lady Jessica and Paul Atreides were kidnapped before they were thrown into the ornithopter.
Her character was lying in a fetal position in an open space with her arms and legs tied. As the camera pans to her face, the audience can see something:
“This thing in the background is just lowering himself, on top of her, and rolls his body on her. And you see that it is Vladimir Harkonnen. And he’s pushing air out of her, so she can’t breathe. And literally, her eyes are nearly popping, and he whispers something in her ear. And it was cut.”
For Ferguson, it was truly sad news that the scene was removed because it could have defined more of the relationship between Lady Jessica and Baron Harkonnen, despite it being quite strange.
“My sadness is the fact that when you find out [Jessica is Baron Harkonnen’s daughter], it becomes a really odd dynamic, that scene, because it’s oddly sensual and s*xual, and weird. And also it left us wondering what this relationship was, and I wonder if that’s why he cut it.”
She also confessed that she liked that part a lot, but she knows it happens all the time in the editing room where some scenes had to be removed in order to push the story forward and make way for more revelations.
“Because it did link us. That private moment really put us in a room by ourselves. That’s one of my favorite scenes.”
Deleting the scene also helped lessen the confusion between Lady Jessica and Baron Harkonnen’s real connection.
Denis Villeneuve On The Future Of Dune Deleted Scenes
Denis Villeneuve once revealed his process of editing for Dune films. Because many fans demand to see deleted scenes, the director clarified that there is no other version than what they see in theaters. Speaking with Collider, the Canadian filmmaker explained:
“I’m a strong believer that when it’s not in the movie, it’s dead. I kill darlings, and it’s painful for me. When it’s dead, it’s dead, and it’s dead for a reason. But yes, it is a painful project, but it is my job. The movie prevails. I’m very, I think, severe in the editing room. I’m not thinking about my ego; I’m thinking about the movie.”
It looks like all hopes to see the deleted footage is lost forever, but even Rebecca Ferguson knows it is a common practice in making films.
Dune (2021) is available to stream via Netflix.
