Zendaya may be one of the most in-demand actresses in Hollywood, but she also has her fair share of audition fears. She revealed that her biggest anxiety was her foul breath; as with many movie scenes, actors will sometimes get close to one another to invoke intimacy.
A particular scene from the highly-acclaimed science fiction movie Dune saw Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet share the screen. Although her appearance in the film was brief, she had several moments with the actor, and that was exactly what she was worried about.
Zendaya Reveals Worst Audition Fears For Dune
In an interview with Empire, Zendaya discussed her character in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune:
“My part is very, very small in this movie, and that’s why I’m so excited to see it, to see what everyone’s been up to. [Denis and I] had a little discussion about who Chani is and the strength she possesses. She’s a fighter, that’s what her people are.”
Despite working on a limited role, the 26-year-old actress confessed enjoying her time on set:
“I only really had a few days with her, so I kind of scratched the surface, but it was so much fun figuring her out. What does she walk like, what does she talk like? This is her planet, so how does she navigate this world? It was so fun.”
The Euphoria star revealed to W Magazine that she was afraid her co-star would smell her breath as she had just got her wisdom teeth taken out:
“My biggest fear was that my mouth would be vile, and then I would have to do a scene with Timothée where we have to be really close, and he would smell my dry socket breath.”
The movie emerged as a commercial success, making over $400 million at the box office and securing a sequel. Despite her fears, Zendaya enjoyed working with Chalamet (via People):
“I’m just so grateful that this experience has been with this guy because he’s massively talented but also such a good person. We’ve been able to have fun and become great friends.”
Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet will be collaborating once again in the upcoming sequel to Frank Herbert’s Dune franchise, and hopefully, it will unravel more of Chani’s story.
Updates On Potential Dune Sequel And HBO Prequel
Dune director Denis Villeneuve spoke with Los Angeles Times and shared his plans for the much-awaited second installment:
“There are some characters that are less developed that I’m keeping for the second film — that’s the way I found the equilibrium. We tried in this movie to stay as close as possible to Paul’s experience. Then, in the second one, I will have time to develop some characters that were left aside a little bit. That’s the theory. I hope it will work.”
Aside from the upcoming Dune sequel, an HBO spin-off series called Dune: The Sisterhood is currently in development. The project has been in the works since 2019 and has faced several creative changes after its original director Johan Renck left production in February 2023.
Dune is available to stream via HBO Max, Netflix, and Prime Video.
Sources: Empire, W Magazine, People, LA Times
