The Big Picture

Baron Harkonnen makes a vile villain in Dune 2, testing Paul Atreides as he seeks revenge and fights for Arrakis.
Stellan Skarsgård discusses the pain and privilege of transforming into the sickly Baron and praises Villeneuve’s directing.
Skarsgård teases Andor Season 2 progress and praises Denis Villeneuve’s alive, creative directing style on set.

The wait for Denis Villneuve’s sequel, Dune: Part Two, is nearly over, and fans are preparing to return to Arrakis to see the war begin. Though we root for our heroes in Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and the Fremen, it’s the unforgettable antagonists that really make us cheer those heroes on, and Stellan Skarsgård as Baron Vladimir Harkonnen makes for one vile baddie.

In Part Two, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), have evaded House Harkonnen’s attempts to put an end to the House Atreides bloodline. Following the assassination of his father, Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac), Paul unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen people to train and prepare for a coming war. While the Harkonnens have their greedy, sadistic sights set on reclaiming the spice trade and control of Arrakis, Paul is determined to enact revenge for his family and to guide the Known Universe to a future only he can foresee.

During an interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, Skarsgård talks about the long, grueling process of transforming into Baron Harkonnen, a sickly pale, blubbery man of leisure and luxury. He discusses the hours of makeup, the skilled artists who make the transformation possible, and why just a little Baron goes a long way. He also talks about working on a set under Villeneuve’s direction and sensibilities, and teases where production is at for Andor Season 2. You can watch the full interview in the video above, or read the transcript below.

Dune: Part Two also brings back Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Babs Olusanmokun, and introduces Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and more.

Dune: Part Two Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.Release Date March 1, 2024 Director Denis Villeneuve Runtime 166 minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Writers Frank Herbert , Jon Spaihts , Denis Villeneuve

Stellan Skarsgård Says ‘Andor’ Season 2 Is Almost Finished

COLLIDER: Before I jump into Dune, I am a massive fan of Andor. I think it’s the best Star Wars since 1980. It’s amazing. So I just have to ask you, how did Season 2 go?

STELLAN SKARSGÅRD: It was interrupted by strikes and shit, but we are almost finished with it. It probably will be out in half a year or something.

I hope, but I think it’ll be longer. Is there anything you can tease people about how it compares to the first season?

SKARSGÅRD: I don’t know what I’m allowed to say. You know it’s Lucasfilm. They’re horrible in terms of that. No, I can’t tease anything.

Every Day on ‘Dune: Part Two’ Was a Painful Privilege
Image via Warner Bros.

Jumping into this. What is it like mentally knowing how much makeup you’re about to get into when you get to set? What is it like as an actor knowing it’s hours? What’s that process for you?

SKARSGÅRD: You have to fool yourself. You know it’s gonna be painful, but you go there, and you just take it minute by minute, and you concentrate on the people that you’re working with or that are working on you, and watch them and their skills. But I don’t wanna do it again.

When you saw the shooting schedule, what was the day you had circled in terms of, “I cannot wait to film this,” or, “Oh my god, we have to film this?”

SKARSGÅRD: Every day was equal because the pain of that costume was equal. But I really wanted to do everything because I wanted to play everything. That was fantastic. And doing that with Denis as a director, it’s a privilege.

He is unbelievable as a filmmaker.

The Production of ‘Dune: Part Two’ Was Alive Because of Denis Villeneuve
Image via Warner Bros.

You’ve worked with so many talented filmmakers throughout your career. What is it about Denis on set that is maybe unique or makes him so special?

SKARSGÅRD: Of course, it’s his sensibility. He doesn’t do film like building a house or anything. He feels everything. He’s on the set, he is discovering things. He becomes happy. You see him by the monitor, and he’s very happy, or he’s very sad. Everything is alive there. It’s a live process. He’s creative, and he makes the shooting of the film creative in a fun way. Then, he’s nice. There’s no one screaming. Everybody knows what they’re doing. It’s a very present set.

If only every set could be like that. You have done so many cool things in your career, but there’s gonna be people out there that have never seen anything you’ve done. If they haven’t seen anything, what’s the first thing you’d like them watching and why?

SKARSGÅRD: Well, let them watch Dune 2 to start with. [Laughs] They can go back later and rerun some of my old films. But I think they should see this one.

Sure.

SKARSGÅRD: And next they should see Andor.

Yes.

Related Tony Gilroy on ‘Andor’s Emmy Nominations and the Labor Problems in Hollywood [Exclusive] “It’s really hard to make a show that’s about community and about solidarity […] and not support it.”

A Little Baron Harkonnen Goes a Long Way
I spoke to Denis, and my only complaint that I told him about the film is that it’s not four hours. He did tell me there are deleted scenes that I will never see. Were there any deleted scenes in the first and second film involving your character that you were a little sad didn’t make the final cut?

SKARSGÅRD: No. Because I said to Denis from the start, “You don’t need to have him in many scenes because that is counterproductive.” What you want to have is you want to have really good scenes when he shows up. He’s imposing, but you can’t sort of dish him out every five minutes because then he will lose value. So to make him as scary as possible, it takes some restraint, and it’s good that he’s taken away the scenes.

Dune: Part Two premieres in theaters on March 1.

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