As you’ve likely heard by now, Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” is an enthralling, visceral, immersive space opera. This dense saga also creates a rich contextual world of politics, culture, religion, and history (read our review here). There is also a mystical, enigmatic quality to the film via one of its mysterious religions, the Bene Gesserit, described in the Frank Herbert books, as a kind of pseudo-religious organization of all-women spies, nuns, scientists, and theologians who use genetic experimentation, political interference, and religious engineering to further their own agenda of ascending the human race with a chosen one figure.
READ MORE: ‘Dune’: Denis Villeneuve Talks Dreams, Sequels & How ‘Star Wars’ Left Him [Interview]
In “Dune,” the 2021 movie, Rebecca Ferguson plays Lady Jessica, a Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, Paul Arteidis’ (Timothee Chalamet) mother, teaching him in the ways of the Bene Gesserit and concubine to Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac). Her character is crucial to the story, but the Bene Gesserit is still an unknowable force in the movie. But please don’t call them witches, Ferguson says, “that’s medieval,” though perhaps speaks to why they are all so feared by men.
READ MORE: The Essentials: The Films Of Denis Villeneuve
This texture is all probably why Legendary Pictures already has plans to make “Dune: The Sisterhood,” an HBO Max spinoff series, expected to be a prequel that tells the story of the mysterious, powerful order of the Bene Gesserit. Will Ferguson star in it? She says she hasn’t heard a thing but is totally “game” to appear if you can fit it into her busy schedule. Ferguson spoke to The Playlist about “Dune,” the enthralling draw of the Bene Gesserit, working with Timothee Chalamet and Oscar Issac, the next upcoming “Mission Impossible” films and their daringness to dip into dark layers of characters, and how it’ll be “shit” if there’s no “Dune: Part Two.” Speaking of which, that’s in theaters and on HBO Max starting tomorrow, October 22, 2021, and you should definitely seek it out (and watch it on a gigantic movie theater screen, if you can).
This movie is so operatic and grand and yet tactile and lived-in in its sense of dust and location. Tell me a bit about your “Dune” experience.
I mean, it was amazing. Denis is a phenomenal director, incredible cast, a remarkable story, fantastic sets, and no green screens.
No green screens for something like this is pretty amazing. Where did you shoot?
Jordan Abu Dhabi, I think they went to Norway for some scenes, and then we were on enormous sets in Budapest where we basically had all of the interiors and all sets built to their core.
That’s incredible. I think that’s communicated to the audience subconsciously, even if they’re not aware? Did it feel special in that regard? Like you’re making something unusual or not of the Hollywood norm?
I chose to be in the film because I know Denis’ filmmaking technique, and I know that I really enjoy his movies. But you never really know what a film will be like until you see the final edit. And generally, I’m lucky enough always to have been shooting in natural environments. So, you know, coming from a ‘Mission Impossible’ film to this, it doesn’t feel… it’s not new exactly. At the same time, every environment and every experience is unique. I get to, you know, dive into new settings, new characters with new actors, and that’s exquisite, and it’s a blessing, it’s great. This was a great one.
Fair enough. What kind of research can you do for these characters, the Bene Gesserit? I’m blanking on how they are named as in the books and the movies, but they’re almost like… what’s the term, I dunno, I don’t want to say witches but—
Well, yeah, let’s stay away from that word. Let’s not call them witches; that’s a rather medieval term.
Yes, yes, fair, true. I think the term was Reverend Mothers, now that I think of it. Well, tell me about how you research that because it seems like what might make ‘Dune’ standout from past iterations was Denis and his writers like Eric Roth, really trying to consider the Bene Gesserit and its female characters first, which is arguably not how all people would think of it first.
Yeah, I mean, Frank Herbert wrote the book in the 1960s and was quite ahead of his time when he created this bondship of a female entity that could communicate with past ancestral commodities. They could also manipulate the universe and basically kill anyone they wanted to. So it’s a phenomenal thought process that Frank was going through. And then I think Denis just needed to freshen it a bit to work with a modern, younger audience, but also for people who also loved the story. So, it’s a balance; it’s freshening something up but still keeping the homage to what the story was. When you watch the film, it’s so many incredible little details to how empowered they are and yet how oppressed and suppressed they still are. If you like going into an analogy of things— which I do because that’s my job—but this is woman, [my character], has the capacity of manipulating the world with her voice, and she gets gagged. You know, that’s a lovely symbolism, isn’t it? I mean, but you could go further with this. That’s why, I mean, they’re not witches. They are the rulers of the universe.
Right, maybe that’s why I used that word, perhaps carelessly, but in that regard, that’s why they’re feared, right? Because of their powers and history shows fear will let us dream up all ideas of people we’re scared of.
Yes, they have powers that go beyond anything. And yet it’s the men in the big rooms and the big wooden stone, whatever table that make the decisions. And, with a little snap of their fingers, the Bene Gesserit can make sure they’re dead. But also, they know that doing that is a consequence to the universe. So it’s not just about impulse; it’s about actual planning and creating the greatness for the outcome for everyone in the universe.
Yeah, that’s a fantastic, modern explanation of their conflict in regards to patriarchy and fear. They are so powerful, and that’s part of why they’re so feared because men don’t have that power. I’m hoping more of this can be explored more in a second part.
I sure am. We’re all hoping and hoping that people are going to love it. It’s down to you guys to write something fantastic, honestly. And then people want more and more, but I think Denis is humbly… this was such a process, and such a passion project for Denis that there’s no rushing ahead, in the sense that your head is bigger than a hat. I think he’s just so grateful if people fall in love with his passion project. And if people do, we’re all waiting, we’re all wanting, we’re all looking forward to, but if it doesn’t go well, then there will be other projects. It’s all politics, babes.
Ha, indeed. Well, we’re talking about this rich, enigmatic culture that we’ve only really seen the tip of the iceberg of, but there has been talk of an HBO Max spinoff series for this very thing: to explore the Bene Gesserit deeper. Would you be involved in or appear in that at some point?
Well, it’s actually nothing that’s been discussed with us, or me, and the only time that it has been brought up is through you journalists, and then I realized that this was something that people were talking about. So if it’s a thing, I’m game. However, I’m currently free in 2023, May to December, so I’m just putting that out there. Yeah.
Ha, yes, let’s put that out into the world. Producers, if you’re listening, you know the dates you have to hit if you want to secure Rebecca’s participation.
A “Dune” TV show, I am happy to… I live in London. You know where to find me. [laughs]
While I have you here, give me some tease about these incredible looking ‘Mission Impossible’ films. It seems like you, Tom, Christopher McQuarrie, and the gang are all up to more madness and stunts that look wowing already.
That’s actually what it is in a nutshell. Wow. It’s incredible. Yet, honestly, what I think the tease for me, as the audience viewer, would be is, McQ and Tom, they don’t shy away from going darker and deeper with characters, the complications, the issues, the dramas. I think we’re all expecting explosive stunts and craziness—which yes— but I think there’s also the other bits in-between, the unexpected difficulties that lie for the characters to carry. It’s been really great.
It’s a nice mix, right? The spectacle and the human drama. You have that in “Dune,” and I assume that’s important to your choices.
Yeah. I agree. I think the external pressures—whether it’s the environment of space or war, or if it’s explosive or its stunts or whatever it is— all of that is physicality. It’s stuff that’s often post-production or whatever. So for me, it’s always the core or the character. I always think if I took away this character from a script, my character, it doesn’t matter how big or small; there should be a gap; it has to be something missing the story can’t hold. Otherwise, I serve no purpose. And for a character to serve a purpose, it needs to have some emotional generating—whether creating issues, relationships, dramas, addiction, whatever it is—so, I always go for the core of a character. And then, if you have some cool effects or whatever. Like, people say, do you like space films? And I think, hmm, not necessarily, but I’ve liked the characters within it. And for some reason, we’re all drawn to science fiction and otherworldly things, and maybe it’s the time, or it was musicals during depressions. We’re always drawn to particular stories at specific points in time. But I see myself as a very open vessel, but I need a character. I need something that makes sense.
That’s a good way of looking at it. Tell me about working with Denis and then Oscar Issac and Timothee Chalamet because they’re essentially the three people you spend the most time with while working on this.
Yeah, Oscar, and then a couple of scenes with Javier [Bardem]. Timothy is unique. He’s exquisite. He is like salt in food. You know? He’s just that tiny, little bit of sprinkle that explodes the flavor. And Oscar, Isaac, God, what an incredible brain, what a man. He’s very intelligent and very good. He would come with many ideas. You’ve read a scene, and you interpret it in a certain way, and you expect— which you shouldn’t. What was it, Anthony Hopkins said? “I expect nothing. I accept everything.” And that is really how it goes with Oscar. You shouldn’t expect anything but just accept. And he would just come with so many different variations of scenes and emotions, and you’d whisper, it was amazing to play with! And Javier is just Javier. He’s just so cool; it’s ridiculous. You’re just trying to maintain your own cool when you’re next to him. He’s like Papa bear somehow.
Tell me about Denis, compared to, say, McQuarrie, not in comparison, but like, what makes him unique and special as a director? What makes him different from other people you’ve worked with?
I just really like him. Some people we like and some people we… I like who I am with and around him; I guess that’s how I can put it. I like who I become, and I like that I can feel safe, and I can be quirky and silly, which I am, sometimes. And I like that I get the freedom to be deep and complex. I said to someone that he just holds a space. He’s very smart. He gets where you’re going before you need to— sometimes, it’s hard to verbalize something. Sometimes, there’s just no sense of something, and he can, just in a sentence, explain to me what I’m missing. And because I’m so free and relaxed with him, there’s this sort of telepathic understanding. And privately, I just, I love him. I go for dinners with him. I love his family. I feel very close to him. I feel very devoted to him as a person and as my director.
That’s certainly a pleasant experience to have. Tell me, had you read the book before, and if so, what were the parts that spoke to you?
For me, it was Denis. I mean, the book is wonderful, and for me, it’s a domino effect. Denis fell in love with the book, and as he has explained— obviously since you’ve met and spent time with him— that he’s worked on this since he was 14. So, when I came in, when my brick fell in place, in the row of these domino bricks, is him just explaining what he has created from reading the book and analyzing it and living it and drawing it. And then I get Denis’ version of it. So it’s not that the book wasn’t interesting. I just didn’t need to find my sources in the book. I do it because it’s my job and I enjoy it. And I appreciate the fact that I could remind him of moments in the book that I thought were cool to bring back— like the sign language, which we didn’t really talk about at first. And I thought that’s a really cool moment where we can activate her knowledge and how she communicates with her soldiers. And he was all up for it. And then we started doing it. But yeah, “Dune” is him. It’s him.
It almost sounds like his infectiousness is like fuel to get inspired every day.
I’m not religious, but if there were a little cult called the DV following, I’d be right there.
Well, that’s certainly about the highest compliment I can think of. Maybe I’ll join you. We talked about the second part a little bit. Do you have any hopes and dreams for it? One big wish?
That “Dune: Part Two” is going to happen. That is my big wish and hope right now. I’m not going deeper than that. I don’t want to fall in love with it too much. I don’t want to overanalyze it because if it comes back and someone says, “Sorry, it didn’t really work out. People didn’t really like the first one.” Well, then that’s going to be shit, isn’t it?
Ha, ha, yes. Indeed. A perfect ending, thank you, and all the best in hoping for more.
Cheers.
“Dune” opens in theaters and simultaneously on HBO Max tomorrow, October 22, 2021. Go see it on the biggest screen available to you if that’s an option for you.