Nomis wrote: ↑

April 20th, 2019, 5:42 pm

Is Goinard actually a concept artist on the film? He's not listed on IMDb and there's even a bit in the article about where to shoot for Dune... Even though they're already in Jordan for some weeks now...

“There’s a backstory that was hinted at in some of the books [that we expanded]. Also, when you read the book there’s a logical place to stop the movie before the book is over.”

“I’m playing Piter De Vries, who is a sadistic human computer who is so driven by an intention that is quite different than any other character I’ve gotten to play before….it’s crazy, man. Yeah. And Denis….he’s a genius. He’s our generation’s Stanley Kubrick.

This is Denis’s interpretation of the Frank Herbert novel Dune, which is just an incredible book. The thing about Dune is- it’s brilliant sci-fi, character development, the twists and plot turns, the themes and some of the big ideas in it are really fascinating to me as a reader and an audience member. But one of the things that always kind of blew my mind about it is that Herbert would write his characters in every sort of situation from not just one or two levels of perspective, but sometimes three or four levels. He really turned ever reaction inside out. Every character has so many levels. There’s no 100% good guy or 100% bad guy, it’s a muddy world. It’s a philosophically challenging world, all wrapped up in this incredible space adventure.”

You also signed on to play the villain in Dune. What made you want to be a part of that? Had you been a fan of the original film, or the novel?

SKARSGARD: No, I wasn’t. I actually just recently read the novel, which is a very good novel. But I’ve been a fan of Denis Villeneuve for quite awhile. It’s also a fun character to play. I don’t have to shoot that many days, but I have to spend six to eight hours a day in make-up. That makes it really hard, but interesting.

What’s it like to act through all of that?

SKARSGARD: If you work with good prosthetics people, the main thing that’s important is that your eyes are free to express themselves, and also that the material you’re working with makes it possible for you to physically express yourself, with your body.

What kind of villain is Baron Harkonnen, in this version of Dune?

SKARSGARD: He’s a pure villain. He doesn’t show any remorse, or any good sides. I usually don’t like dividing the world into the good guys and bad guys because I think it’s an illusion, since most of us have a little of both in us. But I would say that this is a bad, bad guy.

Is there a freedom in that, when you’re playing a character where there really is no doubt about who he is?

SKARSGARD: It’s a cartoonish way to look at somebody, but at the same time, he’s very human, in some ways. His actions are just absolutely horrendous.

What do you think will most surprise fans about this particular take on the material?

SKARSGARD: I don’t know. It’s a very long novel, and it’s really hard to compress into film because usually, it’s short stories that are better to make films out of. So, some might be disappointed that some of their favorite things are no longer in the story, but I also think they will be fascinated by Villeneuve’s way of visualizing that world that they have had in their mind for so long. And there are a lot of good actors that can be very pleasant to watch.

AD: Finally, you have a really busy year coming up, including the highly anticipated Dune. What’s it like being a part of that? Have you started filming?

DD: I’ve only begun prep work. The film has started production, and I’ll begin very soon. I’ll be going to Budapest. The script is incredibly powerful, exciting, and entertaining. It’s as deep as the Herbert text. I can’t wait to see the film that Denis (Villeneuve) makes. He brings so much humanity to every story he tells.