Zendaya’s biggest fear while filming Dune involved her wisdom teeth and a chemistry read audition with Timothée Chalamet.
Zendaya reveals her biggest fear while filming Dune involved her wisdom teeth. The actress is coming off an amazing year after appearing in Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel, coming back for her third outing as MJ in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and returning for another season as the teenage addict, Rue, in HBO’s Euphoria. In Dune, Zendaya plays Chani, a member of the Fremen, the blue-eyed people who occupy the desert planet of Arrakis and revere the great worm Shai-Hulud. Her role was very limited in the movie but sets her up for a much larger part in the upcoming sequel.
Dune opened to massive success this past October, earning $400 million at the box office despite a simultaneous streaming release. It received a whopping 10 Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture. The film also stars Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac as Paul’s parents, Lady Jessica and Duke Leto Atreides, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, and Stellan Skarsgård as the terrifying Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
However, the casting process wasn't exactly glamorous for Zendaya. The actor revealed that her biggest fear while filming Dune involved her wisdom teeth. Zendaya had recently had her wisdom teeth removed before walking into the audition room with her co-star Timothée Chalamet and was afraid that he would be able to smell her breath. In an interview with W magazine, she joked:
"I had just gotten my wisdom teeth taken out. My biggest fear was that my mouth would be vile, and then I would have to do a scene with Timothée where we have to be really close, and he would smell my possible dry socket breath."
Despite her fears, the audition went well. Zendaya has talked about her immediate chemistry with Chalamet during press rounds for Dune, and it's easy to tell the two are close friends. Chalamet, for his part, is equally impressed with Zendaya. In a separate interview, he said that watching her play Chani was "incredible to witness."
It is surprising after looking at behind-the-scenes footage for Dune that Zendaya’s biggest fear would involve her wisdom teeth. While Zendaya does not perform any real stunts, the scope of the movie is enough to scare anyone. But, with Zendaya used to large, complicated productions thanks to her work in the MCU, it makes sense that something more mundane would throw her for a loop while participating in a huge film didn't faze her. Fans who are eager to see more of Zendaya as Chani can get excited since it has been confirmed she will have a much larger role in Dune: Part 2. In the meantime, fans can rewatch the epic film on HBO Max.
Source: W Magazine
