One of the big surprises in Dune: Part Two was the reveal that Anya Taylor-Joy had a small cameo role in the film as a future version of Alia Atreides, the unborn younger sister of Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides. But getting that small scene together and keeping it a secret was no easy feat for Taylor-Joy. During a profile with Variety, Taylor-Joy revealed that the biggest obstacle that almost kept her out of the movie was her leading role in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Taylor-Joy also told Variety that she’s a big fan of Dune director Denis Villeneuve, but she was dismayed to learn that his sequel was filming at the same time as Furiosa.
“I skipped all the stages of grief and went straight to begging,” recalls Taylor-Joy. “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.”
Although she attempted to keep tabs on Dune: Part Two’s production while shooting Furiosa, Taylor-Joy was told by her agents that the film had started shooting without her. It wasn’t until she was finished with Furiosa that Taylor-Joy discovered that Villeneuve had made special arrangements for her.
“[Villeneuve] said, ‘I made a deal with the studio: If I was on budget and on time, I could do this.'” That allowed Taylor-Joy to shoot her scene with Villeneuve and a small crew in Namibia. Villeneuve and Taylor-Joy also went to great lengths to keep her role a surprise.
“No one at the studio knew,” recalls Taylor-Joy. “My face had been blurred out [in early cuts of the film].”
Dune: Messiah was announced shortly after Dune: Part Two was a hit at the box office. And Villeneuve made it clear to Variety that he wants Taylor-Joy back for that movie as well.
“Shooting with Anya in Africa was nothing short of magical,” said Villeneuve. “Her generosity, candor and passion truly moved me. I can’t wait to go back on Arrakis with her.”
