Dune director Denis Villeneuve explains that Paul’s visions were inspired by his own bad experience with drugs. Dune was released towards the end of 2021 and it experienced huge critical and commercial success; it was subsequently nominated in 10 categories at the 2022 Academy Awards. The film is an adaptation of the first half of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel, and Dune: Part Two will conclude the story upon its release in 2023.
Dune follows the journey of the young Paul Atreides, portrayed by Timothée Chalamet, as his family relocates to the desert planet of Arrakis. Arrakis is the most valuable planet in the known galaxy, due to its singular ability to produce the coveted drug Melange, also known as Spice, which can be used to extend a person's life and awaken dormant areas of the human mind (while turning users’ eyes blue as a side-effect). Through a brutal attack, and with the assistance of the Emperor, the villainous House Harkonnen regains control over the planet and kills Paul’s father in the process. Along with his mother, Paul manages to escape into the planet’s desert and is exposed to the drug along the way, causing him to see prescient visions of many possible futures.
Now, Villeneuve has explained the inspiration he tapped into to direct scenes of Paul experiencing his visions. In a candid discussion hosted by the Directors Guild of America, the director shared that before photography on Dune had commenced, he had a bad drug experience thanks to a marijuana-infused cake made by his son. The cake gave the director “the worst bad trip of my life,” however, he still managed to turn the experience into a source of creative inspiration. Check out Villeneuve’s full comments below:
"The truth is that one thing that helped me tremendously to direct Timothée [Chalamet] is, my son had cooked a banana cake a few months before we shot the movie, and the banana cake was very ‘spicy’ and I had the worst bad trip of my life. But it tremendously helped me, it sounds stupid, but it’s good to experience things yourself sometimes. That bad trip, on marijuana, deeply helped me to direct Timothée in the visions, to explain to him the state I was looking for. And, strangely, when I mentioned the banana cake experience to Timothee, he got it! Here’s the truth. Don’t try this!"
Inspiration can come from the most unexpected of places, and in the case of Dune, it came from an appropriately "spiced" banana cake. While Spice and marijuana undoubtedly have different effects, Villeneuve was able to base the scenes of Paul’s visions in reality, which explains why the scenes felt so grounded. Villeneuve's story also adds new depth to Chalamet’s performance, knowing the unorthodox direction behind it.
Viewers will get the chance to see more of the effects of Spice upon the release of Dune: Part Two, where the drug plays a more central role. Thanks to the success of the first film, expectations couldn’t be higher for the sequel and Villeneuve has promised that it will be more exciting as the world-building and plot points begin to pay off. Following up Dune will still be a huge challenge, but if Villeneuve continues to find creative ways to ground the story in reality, he'll likely be rewarded with another hit movie.
Source: Directors Guild of America
