Timothée Chalamet was 'more Intense' filming franchise closer Dune 3
Timothée Chalamet went full throttle for his final outing as Paul Atreides in Dune 3.
Timothée Chalamet has revealed that he pushed himself harder than ever while filming Dune 3, admitting he approached the final chapter of the sci‑fi saga with a level of intensity he hadn’t tapped into before.
The 30‑year‑old actor explained that he felt a deep responsibility to honour his final performance as Paul Atreides. For him, the third film wasn’t just another sequel — it was a culmination.
Speaking at Variety and CNN’s event at the University of Texas at Austin, he said: “I didn’t want to be complacent about a single moment. Everything was sacred, and it was my last time doing a Dune film, so I really wanted to treat it as sacred. Because people can get complacent, but I was more intense on the third one. It felt like that was the natural momentum, so I wanted to push against that as hard as I could."
Timothée, who has led the franchise since Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic novel, explained that returning to familiar sequences didn’t make the experience easier — in fact, it made him more determined to elevate his performance.
He shared: “On the first Dune, we had an ornithopter sequence that I got a chance to do again in the third, but this time I was way more geared up.
“On Dune 3, as opposed to the first movie, I came out early and studied the control panel — all sorts of hieroglyphics and things that aren’t tethered to reality. I wanted to know what each button did, and invent a dynamic for myself with it.”
Meanwhile, Timothée recently slammed a "punk" co-star for questioning his acting ability.
The Marty Supreme actor has been nominated for four Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, nine Actor Awards, six BAFTAs and 10 Critics' Choice Movie Awards over the years but his skills were dismissed by an unnamed star in an ensemble piece because of his level of formal training.
The Little Women star - who has won one Golden Globe, one Actor Awards and two Critics Choice awards - told Matthew McConaughey in conversation for Variety: “No names, but the guy was a punk.
“He asked me what conservatory I had gone to, and I said I didn’t go to an acting conservatory. And he said, ‘Well, you haven’t trained as an actor then.’ And we were all part of an ensemble.”
Timothée has grown used to being offered unsolicited advice but clarified that Matthew, who he appeared with in 2014's Interstellar, hadn't been like that with him.
He said: “I always said, ‘Beware of the people in life that get more of the advice they give you than you get at the advice.'
“They’re thrilled by the act of giving you advice. All of a sudden you can’t listen to what they’re saying anymore because they’re flexing on you so hard.
“You never did that to me, though, which I’m grateful for.”
