Denis Villeneuve says Timothée Chalamet’s hair was the biggest challenge he faced while directing Dune. Frank Herbert's seminal science-fiction novel from 1965 was first adapted into a feature film by director David Lynch in 1984 starring Kyle McLachlan as Paul Atreides, though Universal notoriously meddled with the final cut. Villeneuve is the next filmmaker to try his hand at adapting Herbert's best-selling book. After being delayed from its original 2020 release date, Dune is finally set to hit theaters and HBO Max next month.
Along with Wes Anderson's French Dispatch and Adam McKay's Don't Look Up (both of which coincidentally star Timothée Chalamet), Villeneuve's Dune boasts one of the most stacked casts of the year. Chalamet takes on the lead role of Paul Atreides, while Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem all appear in supporting roles. The film chronicles several noble houses struggling for control of a drug known as melange, often simply called "spice," which only exists on the planet Arrakis, also known as Dune.
Before Dune's premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on September 3, the film's director and cast assembled for a press conference. There, Denis Villeneuve revealed the biggest challenge that came with adapting Dune to the screen: wrangling his lead star Timothée Chalamet’s hair, which he claims was "alive" throughout production, per Deadline. "I had to direct Timothée and I had to direct his haircut,” Villeneuve joked.
After Chalamet's breakout performances in 2017's Call Me by Your Name and Ladybird, the actor began demanding attention not only with his heartfelt performances, but with his perfectly disheveled locks. The actor now enjoys status as a Hollywood heartthrob and his wavy hair is a large reason why. After starring in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar at the age of 18, Chalamet has appeared in the Western Hostiles and the medieval drama The King, but not until Dune has he led a big-budget action movie.
The film just had its worldwide premiere at the Venice Film Festival and thus, early reactions to Dune have begun piling in. Critics are praising the director's grand vision, but criticizing the way in which the story is told. Keep in mind, 2021's Dune is only the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the book, which could begin filming as soon as 2022. Perhaps Villeneuve will have more luck directing Chalamet's infamous hairdo the second time around.
Source: Deadline
