Rebecca Ferguson portrayed the character of Lady Jessica, the mother of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides in the Dune series. However, her role underwent significant changes in Dune: Part Two, compared to Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel.
Film director Denis Villeneuve planned to depict her character as pregnant in the second movie, allowing her to continue playing a crucial role in Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides’ journey. In fact, she even had to talk to herself in Swedish for some normalcy after her arc in the second film became far too intense for her.
Rebecca Ferguson Spoke To Herself In Swedish To Retain Her Sanity While Filming Dune: Part Two
While speaking in a recent interview, Rebecca Ferguson talked about the character of Lady Jessica in Dune: Part Two and her preparation for the role, especially the eerie talking baby scenes.
Rebecca Ferguson revealed that she spoke to herself in Swedish a few times in order to retain some sense of sanity and normalcy as her character arc truly took a toll on her.
”Denis Villeneuve had in mind that the conversation would happen and we had scripts but we very much made it into our thing, and how it would look, if it was madness or if it was internal. We played around, a couple of times I spoke Swedish, just to hear another language.”
#Dune2 star, Rebecca Ferguson, unpacks those eerie talking baby scenes and the motivations behind her character, Lady Jessica. pic.twitter.com/hRr1dO6MBk
— Fandom (@getFANDOM) March 8, 2024
This comes as no surprise considering the fact that Rebecca Ferguson’s Lady Jessica was outright maniacal towards the end of the film, especially after she drank the sandworm blood. Nevertheless, her acting prowess was on full display in the film in every single scene.
Denis Villeneuve Believes Television is Ruining Movies
Denis Villeneuve started off his career with short films, drawing inspiration from legendary filmmakers such as Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, and Steven Spielberg. Renowned for creating some of the best movies in cinematic history, the Sicario director’s latest project is the second installment of the sci-fi movie Dune, released in 2021.
Adapted from Frank Herbert’s monumental sci-fi novel Dune, the eponymous movie franchise is set in the distant future and chronicles the journey of Paul Atreides from the noble House of Atreides. Paul is thrust into a war for control over the perilous and inhospitable desert planet Arrakis.
Denis Villeneuve’s latest movie, the second part of Dune had its world premiere at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico on February 6, 2024, and was released in the United States on March 1, 2024. Similar to the first installment, this sequel has received acclaim from critics. Villeneuve recently expressed his perspective on the impact of television on movies during an interview with The Times of London:
“Frankly, I hate dialogue. Dialogue is for theatre and television. I don’t remember movies because of a good line, I remember movies because of a strong image. I’m not interested in dialogue at all. Pure image and sound, that is the power of cinema, but it is something not obvious when you watch movies today. Movies have been corrupted by television.”
Everyone holds their own opinions, and Denis Villeneuve has expressed his belief that movies can thrive without relying heavily on dialogue. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that dialogues play a significant role in shaping and defining movies. Different perspectives contribute to the diversity of cinematic experiences.
Nevertheless, Dune: Part Two has already released worldwide to rave reviews, so we will have to wait and see if a sequel will ever get made.
