The Swedish actor heaps praise on the shooting star in “Dune” – but the collaboration was not painless
Published 2024-02-21 18.52
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LONDON. Rebecca Ferguson, 40, and Timothée Chalamet, 28, star in “Dune” and its theatrical sequel.
But the collaboration in the six-time Oscar-winning blockbuster was not always completely friction-free.
– There were times when I just wanted to hit him, says Rebecca Ferguson to Aftonbladet.
Rebecca Ferguson and Timothée Chalamet play mother and son in the blockbuster “Dune: Part two”. And the Swede heaps praise on the 28-year-old Hollywood star who broke through with the television series “Homeland” in 2012.
When the 2021 sequel to the six-time Oscar winner “Dune” is marketed worldwide, Chalamet is one of the faces, along with Ferguson and a host of big stars who Zendaya, Austin Butler and Florence Pugh.
But the collaboration with the French-American star was not always painless, says the Swede.
– In the first “Dune” film, he was… not difficult, but he demanded different things than I do, says Rebecca Ferguson to Aftonbladet, who meets her at the exclusive Rosewood Hotel in London.
– I came from a big studio world, so I can do fight scenes, cry, scream, run and then I have fun with the camera fitters, electricians and lighting guys. I’m one of the gang. He comes from a very emotional, intricate indie world.
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full screen Rebecca Ferguson in “Dune 2”. Photo: AP
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full screen Denis Villeneuve with Rebecca Ferguson during filming. Photo: Niko Tavernise / AP
“Just wanted to hit him”
– It wasn’t a clash, but it was very different. When I joked, I could feel how it didn’t help him. So I was very aware that there were two different processes there and that process helped our dynamic a lot in the series.
Rebecca Ferguson, who today lives in London, grew up in Stockholm and made her mark there in the TV soap “New Times”. After that, she has been seen, among other things, in “The greatest showman” (2017), in several “Mission: Impossible” films and in the TV series “Silo”. Playing Lady Jessica, who is the mother of Chalamet’s character Paul Atreides, was still a new experience.
– It was good and challenging and there were times where I just wanted to hit him because I was so annoyed, says the 40-year-old.
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helskärm Timothee Chalamet in ”Dune 2”. Photo: AP
Because he was too pretentious?
– No, he is not at all pretentious. He is so driven that it should be true for him. He is in his bubble and his world, he is not analyzing anyone else. He’s incredibly dedicated, he can have fun too, but there’s a difficult dynamic between him and his mother in this movie—finding the balance between breaking away from someone and being completely connected.
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fullscreen chevron-rightnextRebecca Ferguson
1 / 2 Photo: Scott A Garfitt / AP
Takes with it from the mother role
According to Rebecca Ferguson, Chalamet could get into his role so hard that it was difficult to get out of it.
– He is a bit of a character actor, he gets into it. And I am totally different. From the moment someone says “acting” I drive, then it’s over and then I’m myself again.
You have two children yourself in real life, do you bring any of that into your role as a mother in “Dune”?
– I think that all our experiences as human beings, and all the worries that I had in the past, are something that lies like a backpack, so that when you shoot scenes, even if you are in big clothes on some planet out in space, it’s nice to have those moments like “take your elbows off the table”, “don’t talk with food in your mouth”, “drink water” – the normal moments between a mother and a son. So obviously it came from what I recognize as well.
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full screen Rebecca Ferguson in “Dune 2”. Photo: Niko Tavernise / APFAKTA
This is Rebecca Ferguson
Age: 40.
Born: Stockholm.
Lives: London, United Kingdom.
Family: Married in December 2018 to husband Rory with whom she has daughter Saga, 5. Has son Isac, 16, with ex-boyfriend Ludwig Hallberg.
Occupation: Actor.
Current: With “Dune: part two”, which premieres in Sweden on February 28, and “Mission: impossible – dead reckoning part two”, which premieres later this year.
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helskärm Timothee Chalamet. Photo: Vianney Le Caer / AP
