‘There's an epic nature to this story': ‘Dune: Prophecy' star Emily Watson teases travels to Arrakis for Season 2

Yahoo

2 days ago

In its first season, Dune: Prophecy explored the Imperium and the foundations of the Sisterhood that would become the powerful Bene Gesserit 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides.
At the cornerstone of that foundation stands Valya Harkonnen. As played by Emily Watson on the HBO series, the Mother Superior is a powerful and uncompromising leader, doing everything she can to secure the future of her Sisterhood.
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By the end of the series' first season, Vayla found herself on a new planet, but one very familiar to Dune fans. Gold Derby had the opportunity to speak with Watson about playing Valya and what lies ahead for her as she ventures to Arrakis in search of the enemy who could destroy everything she holds dear.
Gold Derby: What was your familiarity level with the world of coming into this project?
Emily Watson: Minimal. I had seen the first Denis Villeneuve movie, but then went on a very steep learning curve. I'm glad I didn't know that when we set out on that journey, the level of fandom — not just the lore and the detail of it and mythic nature of it — but also the sense of ownership of what the interpretation should be. There's a very heartfelt, passionate voice out there, people who know and love this world.
How much did the depth of this fictional world help your process? Or did you avoid knowing too much?
It certainly helped up to a point. Obviously, you have to respect the material and learn as much as you can. We had a very helpful team of people helping us digest material and pointing us in the direction of pieces of research and pieces of the books that would be useful. I wasn't going to sit down and read absolutely everything. At the same time, as with any part, you have to go on your own imaginative journey with it and make it — in a very strange and alien universe — as human as you can.
What were you first impression of Valya once you were able to read material from the show?
Very messed-up, very tough, very damaged. Very, very driven in the sense of the ends justifying the means. The end to her is righteous. She's in the business of saving the universe and saving humankind. She basically founds a cult, and cult leaders are very charismatic, persuasive people. They pit young people in competition with each other to be the most zealous. It's a sort of recruiting tool — telling people they're special and that they're the chosen ones and that they can save the world. It's the beginning of a myth. It's the beginning of thousands of years of creating a myth.
Which aspect of her character appeals to you in how you approach portraying her as an actor?
I love the idea of going into the world of science fiction and superpowers and all of that. But with Valya, all of her powers are in her mind, so the actors are doing the heavy-lifting. It's about mental prowess and having to be very, very present, in-tune with people, and hyper-aware. I like the mental discipline aspect of it.
How much consideration did you give Charlotte Rampling's performance from the Villeneuve films? Or did the 10,000-year gap free you up?
Absolutely, that 10,000-year gap is liberating. Thank God! At the same time, I do think she's iconic. She's an incredible presence and an incredible actress and so powerful. For our job, that's a direction of travel, but at the same time, with the way that our story was structured — going back to when these character were young and how they began to travel down this path and the unformed nature of what they're doing and the vulnerabilities that they have — it's showing a different arrival point.
Was there any framework for you and Jessica Barden (who plays the younger Valya) to synch up your performances? Or were you just relying on the writers?
Strangely, we had visions of spending time together, but the strike meant that it was not to be. We did talk. Once I started talking to her — her sense of fierceness and rawness — I felt lucky. To have someone portray your past in such a vivid way, it does an awful lot of the work for you. To arrive at Valya in place where all that youthful wildness is being control and put to a purpose, it felt like a nice journey between the two of us.
What was it like to get to see her performance finally?
It was great. It was thrilling. It made me nervous. I had seen [the younger actors] around, but we didn't have any scenes together. Seeing how those youngsters created that early world was fantastic.
It seems possible within the world of the show that you could eventually be in a scene together.
I know! I was saying that her the other day. "I wish we could do stuff together." But there is an awful lot of scope for doing whatever you want in this universe.
How does thorough world-building in the production design affect your performance?
It immediately gives you a sense of place and a sense of status. Again, it does a lot of the work for you. Those costumes were very powerful, feminine, and dark. Wearing a veil, in fact, I found thrilling. It's like wearing a mask. It's liberating because you can project a different kind of power from behind a veil. I love that. But also, the sets were breathtaking. Every time we went onto a new set, it was really shocking how big and powerful they were. It was awe-inspiring. There's an epic nature to this story. It's a vast universe, spanning many worlds. You don't have to work to reach for that.
Valya's sister, Tula (played as an adult by Olivia Williams), is the closest relationship she has, but the two character spend most of the season apart. What was it like trying to bridge that gap and sell the familiarity?
We have enough time together to establish that. Olivia and I are different kinds of actors, but we very much come from the same stable — theater and Shakespeare — with an understanding that you are taking a particular part of the story and serving that. Knowing that they were connected in their mission and what they were trying to achieve, although very far apart from each other, and trusting Olivia as an actor to be running the show back at the school brilliantly while I was off doing what I was doing. That sense of betrayal at the end, that nothing has been what I thought, feels powerful.
Valya ends the season on Arrakis. A personal question: How do you feel about sand?
I'm not particularly good with heat, so it's going to be interesting. I don't think we can be in the same location because of world events, but judging by the Villeneuve films, they shot everything in the desert at dawn and dusk. Wherever we are, I hope it's the nicest light, but obviously not too hot.
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