Zendaya appeared on A Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Tuesday night, to discuss her new film Malcolm & Marie, premiering on Netflix this week. Given the host’s unmistakable enthusiasm for Dune, it was no surprise when the conversation started with Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming movie, where Zendaya plays Chani, a fierce Fremen warrior.
Colbert didn’t hesitate to ask the actress if she was just as excited about the Dune movie as all of the “Dune-nerds”, himself included. Her response was energetic.
I have become a “Dune-nerd” for sure. I’m very, very excited. I mean, I feel so lucky, incredibly lucky to be a part of it. It’s such a beautiful thing. I’m geeking out like everyone else, I can’t wait to see it. I can’t wait for people to see it. Yeah, it’s special.
Zendaya on A Late Show, February 2, 2021
Zendaya went on to talk about how her fellow cast members were “so lovely”, especially calling out Timothée Chalamet, who plays the leading role of Paul Atreides. “He’s become one of my closest friends and he’s lovely and so talented,” she said about her co-star. Although we know that Chani only appears for a small part of the first movie, her relationship with Paul is a major component of the story. Given the stirring scenes they’re expected to share together in both movies, it’s good to hear that the two talented actors have bonded off-screen.
One of Zendaya’s favorite memories from shooting Dune was when the two of them threw dance parties during downtime.
We would have these dance parties in my room, where I would leave the door open; Timothée would come in with his little speaker and everybody would start coming in and then we’d just start dancing.
Colbert’s guess that Javier Bardem was the cast’s best dancer was affirmed by Zendaya, “He had the moves, I was very impressed.” This isn’t the first time we’re hearing about all of the fun that the actors had on the movie’s set, so hopefully photos will surface online at some point.
The full A Late Show segment can be watched here, with the Dune movie discussion taking place in the first two minutes.
Malcolm & Marie is now streaming on Netflix.
Dune (2021) is currently slated for release on October 1, 2021, simultaneously in theaters and streaming on HBO Max (so far streaming options have only been announced in U.S.). Stay tuned to Dune News Net and follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates about the upcoming movie and other Dune-related news.
Source: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert YouTube channel, Elle December 2020 issue via Timothée Chalamet