Denis Villeneuve sheds light on his bet on Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet in 'Dune'

Denis Villeneuve, the director of Dune, recently shared his insights into Zendaya and Timothee Chalamet's bond and its impact on the movie.

While appearing at the Deadline Contenders Film event and speaking at the Dune: Part 2 panel alongside screenwriter Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve credited the second installment's success to the growing off-screen connection of both actors.

He articulated, “They met each other in Part One, briefly, and spontaneously they became friends.”

Explaining the induction of both stars as Paul Atreides and Chani, who are star-crossed lovers in the two films, he added, “And as we did the promotional tour, their relationship became, let’s say, a deeper meaning – they’re close friends.”

“And for me, it’s tremendous help, of course, because Jon and I had structured the whole story on their relationship through the birth of the love between Paul and Chani, then the struggle of this love with the pressure from the outside, from the politics, and then the break,” he shared, articulating his thoughts.

Villeneuve went on to admit that “all that, I need, so it was all about the chemistry between them – I had put all my chips on that.”

Emphasising the importance of their on-screen chemistry, he quipped, “And so it was crucial that to capture that on screen and bring that chemistry on camera.”

Moreover, Villeneuve ran a few tests with both actors “just to see” their chemistry soon after they were selected.

“We had Timothée and we had met Zendaya, we did some camera tests – not to test her skills, of course, she’s a tremendous actress – but at the time I needed to know her. I wanted to see how we could establish that [relationship] together and how ultimately it was feeling, and it was a fantastic experience,” he concluded by saying.

It is pertinent to mention that Dune: Part 2, an epic science fiction movie, was released in February this year and has received 98% positive reviews on Rotten Tomato.