Anya Taylor-Joy says she was practically begging Denis Villeneuve to give her a role in Dune: Part Two.
Speaking with Variety, Taylor-Joy recalled meeting with Villeneuve to discuss playing a part in 2024’s Dune: Part Two. She initially wanted a larger part in the movie; however, Taylor-Joy was also filming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga around the time.
“Before I even sat down, he was like, ‘I want you to be in Dune, but you can’t do it!’” she explained. “I was like, ‘Please?’ I skipped all the stages of grief and went straight to begging I was like, ‘I can do this. I can be in Australia and Abu Dhabi at the same time.’ He wanted me to be part of the universe. We kept in touch. I just had this feeling that it wasn’t over.”
Furiosa and Dune: Part Two started filming concurrently; however, Taylor-Joy kept asking her agents to try to get her a role in Villeneuve’s movie.
The day she got back to Los Angeles, Taylor-Joy said she then got a call from Villeneuve. Taylor-Joy recalled, “He said, ‘I made a deal with the studio: If I was on budget and on time, I could [put you in the movie.’”
Taylor-Joy wound up playing a grown-up version of Paul Atreides’ unborn sister, Alia, in Dune: Part Two. “Anya was Alia as soon as I met with her,” Villeneuve said. “In fact, I realized after the fact, she has always been Alia. Anya feels out of this world, as though she belongs to some other dimension, one step into the dream.”
Anya Taylor-Joy wants to return to Arrakis
Regarding whether she’ll return as Alia in another Dune movie, Taylor-Joy said, “I hope so.”
Villeneuve added, “Shooting with Anya in Africa was nothing short of magical. Her generosity, candor, and passion truly moved me. I can’t wait to go back on Arrakis with her.”
Dune: Part Two is currently available to rent or purchase on Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, meanwhile, releases in United States theaters on May 24, 2024.
