Zendaya struggled not to cry during emotional scenes in Dune: Part Two.
The “Euphoria” actor plays desert-dwelling Chani from the Fremen tribe in the sci-fi sequel. She says the people are so intent on holding their bodily fluids in to preserve their life they don’t cry when people die.
“Without giving too much away, there’s a ceremony of sorts, and I think for me, obviously, I was always thinking about this thing for the Fremen: you’re not supposed to waste water, and that includes crying,” Zendaya told Collider about shooting Denis Villeneuve’s follow-up to his Dune epic.
“And even Stilgar [a Fremen chief played by Javier Bardem], he says, ‘Don’t waste your water on the dead,’ and things like that. So, it’s like wanting to evoke emotion but not being able to cry and what does that mean?” the Malcolm & Marie star recalled.
“Because I’m used to just like, ‘’Alright, well, let’s just cry!’ And how do you just hold them right there and not let them fall? And then you have to let them fall in a very specific moment. So you have to hold, and then they can only fall when a specific thing happens — without giving things away, [that’s when] I’m allowed to let the tear fall,” she added. “So it was, for me, just about holding on to her composure, but also being emotional.”
Zendaya added there was a scene where she “accidentally cried,” and her tears were removed in post-production.
“How do you convey this emotion but also stay true to who the character is, and things that would be very true and honest for them? Those are the seeds,” she said.
Dune: Part Two sees a rebellion that first began on the planet of Arrakis break out after the world is left in the hands of the brutal Harkonnens.
The Fremen people end up uniting to face a war for their homes and way of life in the film, which also stars Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin and Dave Bautista.
