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If you thought the cast for Dune was stacked then wait until you see the sequel, with several big names joining the all-star line-up for the highly anticipated Part Two. One of these is none other than Florence Pugh, the Oscar-nominated star of hit films including Little Women, Oppenheimer, and Don't Worry Darling.
In the upcoming sequel, she portrays Princess Irulan, a character from sci-fi author Frank Herbert's beloved novel who was previously played by Candyman star Virginia Madsen in David Lynch's 1984 movie adaptation. As the daughter of the Emperor (played by Christopher Walken), Irulan is central to the politics at play – if you recall, the first film saw the Emperor put House Atreides up against House Harkonnen, setting everyone on the path to war.
As tension builds across the galaxy, Irulan becomes a crucial part of her father's schemes, but she is also plotting herself. This is something which excited Pugh, who tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Dune 2 on the cover, that Irulan is unlike other characters she has played before. "It’s funny, I was asked this morning, 'Is she like any of the other feisty characters that I’ve played before? Whilst she may be internally, I think she’s probably one of the quietest characters I’ve ever played. She is someone that is constantly listening, and always learning, and that was something that I was so excited [about] when I was reading the script. I always acknowledged that she was always aware, maybe when other people weren’t aware, that she was recording probably internally what was going on. She’s calculated."
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Pugh explains that, in a way, she is still learning about Irulan, teasing that we could potentially see more of her in the future: "I think that excited me the most, to see someone that was planning. You don’t necessarily know what they’re planning for, but they are aware and they are planning. That’s a very exciting character to get to work with, because you’re trying to figure out where her loyalties lie, where her wisdom ends, and what her abilities are. And it may not be loud, and it may not be feisty, and it may not be gobby like my usual characters always are. But she’s definitely intelligent. That’s been a really nice fine line to play. We’ll find out more about Princess Irulan, I’m learning about her as well."
Whilst a third film is yet to be officially confirmed, director Denis Villeneuve has expressed interest in adapting Herbert's follow-up novel Dune Messiah for the big screen. Irulan does feature in that book, so we may see Pugh portray the princess once more. Only time will tell.
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Dune: Part Two releases in US and UK theaters on March 1. The above is just a snippet of our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features the upcoming blockbuster on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, February 21. For even more from SFX, sign up to our newsletter, which delivers all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.
