Almost immediately I was presented with an opportunity I couldn’t resist. William Hurt wanted to play Duke Leto. Like so many of the rest of us involved in this project, William had always loved Herbert’s novel. When we met in New York City, I knew I’d found Duke Leto. Continuing long distance conversations while he was on other locations and I was in pre-production only reinforced my enthusiasm.
John Harrison and Theodor Pistek
I love working with actors. I love the process of discovering who the character is. In television, one has precious little time to explore such issues, let alone rehearse them. But the degree of intelligence, of commitment, of depth William was willing to bring to a character that is essentially murdered and removed from the story early on, was truly gratifying to me. Because of it, Leto’s spirit infuses the remainder of Paul’s journey through nights Two and Three as if he were still on the scene.
The major challenge of "Frank Herbert’s Dune" was finding the right person to play the lead, Paul Atreides. In the book Paul is introduced at age fifteen and we see him age a few years over the course of the story. The talent pool in this age range is woefully shallow. I knew we’d have to cast someone older and find someone with the range to pull off every-thing from the ambivalence and angst of a teenager to the mature, desert-hardened fanaticism and charisma of a legend. It wouldn’t be easy. With Molly Lopata, our casting director, I looked everywhere. Finally (and almost by accident), I found Alec Newman, a brilliant young Scot who had the energy, the look, the intensity to become Paul Muad’dib. Our first meeting was late at night in a hotel lobby; not the most inspiring place for an actor to show his wares or a director to judge them. But something about Alec wouldn’t leave me alone, and after that meeting I felt convinced that I’d found the right actor for Paul. It was a stroke of great luck. Or maybe it was meant to be. Maybe he was the Muad’dib waiting to happen.
Barbora Kodetová, Richard P. Rubinstein and John Harrison
In England I also found Saskia Reeves, a renowned British Theater actress, to play Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica. I’d looked far and wide for somebody who would have the gravitas, the sensitivity and the emotional warmth to play Lady Jessica. I saw an audition tape of hers in which she did a half-hour monologue about killing her mother. It was an extraordinarily compelling performance. Everything I’d been looking for was exhibited in this monologue. But like all the other actors in "Frank Herbert’s Dune," Saskia is extremely thoughtful and deliberate. It took many long and heartfelt conversations to convince her she could be a great Jessica. In the end, she proved it.
In the novel, Princess Irulan is simply the biographer/narrator of much of the story. But those who know the Dune mythology understand that she plays a significant character in the continuing drama. She couldn’t simply be a cipher that would appear in the final scenes, a mere device for Paul to checkmate the Emperor. I needed someone who could take the character I gleaned from Irulan’s writings and create a mem-rable persona. I found that someone in Julie Cox, also from London. A gifted and beautiful young actress, Julie has taken Irulan and given her a life that was only hinted at in the novel.
Uwe Ochsenknecht is a wonderfully intense and complex actor from Germany, a big star in Europe, whose talents range from serious drama to hilarious comedy. Perfect for the complexity of Silgar, I thought. Like the others, Uwe was a fan of the book and he came to me with wonderfully developed ideas of how to make Stilgar human and compelling.
Lady Jessica and Paul Atreides
I was introduced to Barbora "Bara" Kodetova via a short film of one of Strindberg’s plays. The entire piece was essentially Bara’s monologue, and it was so moving I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Furthermore, Bara comes from a family of great Czech actors, and she has the spirit, the passion, the physicality to play Chani, the great love of Paul Muad’dib.
Giancarlo Giannini came from Italy to play the Emperor. I was thrilled when he agreed to take the part. Giancarlo is known for his great romantic and comic performances. But few outside Italiy realize that he is one of the finest Shakespearean actors that country has produced. The day he walked on the set in his first wardrobe, as Shaddam IV, his pres-enced proclaimed, "I am the Emperor."
Ian McNeice who plays Baron Harkonnen lives in Los Angeles. Molly Lopata introduced me to him and he did one of the most outrageous auditions I have ever seen. Whenever you write a scene you obviously have a certain image of that character in your mind, and it’s incredibly wonderful to find an actor who takes the image that you have, becomes it and takes it even further. That’s what Ian McNeice did with the Baron, and he continued to surprise me with all of the wonderful things he brought to the role. William Hurt told Ian that he was born to play this role.
I was introduced to P.H. Moriarty, who plays Gurney Halleck, by David Kappes, who had worked with him on a previous film. P.H. began his acting career working with Bob Hoskins on The Long Good Friday, and I met him almost as a courtesy to David. But once I saw him, I knew that this guy was Gurney Halleck. He has an eye that was damaged earlier in his life, which, having added the scar that Gurney Halleck has, makes his face so expressive and so intense.
I’d seen Matt Keeslar, who plays Feyd, in a couple of films and I thought this is a really interesting young actor, but I didn’t know too much about him. My friend Wes Craven did Scream 3 with him and thought he did a terrific job. When he was suggested to me I thought, well, he’s kind of an emerging young star. Maybe he won’t want to come over and do "Frank Herbert’s Dune" in the Czech Republic for four months. But he wanted to do it right away, so we snatched him up and he’s delightfully evil.
I believe that the story of Dune is in many ways more relevant today than it was when Herbert wrote it. The world in which we live now is far closer to the universe he created than the bipolar Cold War of the Fifties and Sixties. I consider it my good fortune and enormous responsibility to have had this chance. I also realize that without the collaboration of the people I’ve mentioned here, and the countless others I haven’t (but whose work is all over this production), "Frank Herbert’s Dune" could not have been made. For their efforts, their friendship and help to remain true to the spirit of Frank Herbert’s monumental work at the same time we fashioned an accessible and entertaining filmed adventure, I’m extremely grateful.
Paul Atreides
Duke Leto and Lady Jessica
HOUSE ATREIDES
Led by Duke Leto Atreides, House Atreides is one of the Great Royal Houses of the Imperium. These Royal Houses comprise one arm of a tenuously balanced trilogy of power with the Emperor and the Navigators of the Spacing Guild comprising the others.
The balance of power among the Houses appears to shift in favor of House Atreides when Duke Leto is ordered by the Emperor to replace House Harkonnen and oversee the production of "Spice," a life-sustaining substance found only on the planet Arrakis (called "Dune" by its native inhabitants). Spice is the most precious commodity in the universe. It is believed among the Houses that he who controls the Spice controls the Empire. But when Leto is betrayed by one of his own, a devastating conflict with the rival Harkonnen ensues. The Duke’s son, Paul, and his mother, Jessica, a magical Bene Gesserit witch with powers of mind control, must escape into the desert. Under his mother’s tutelage, Paul hones his own considerable Bene Gesserit gifts, begins to see into the future and realize his far-reaching ability to shape it.
Duke Leto
Academy Award winner William Hurt plays Duke Leto in the mini-series. Born March 20, 1950, his first starring role in a feature was in the science fiction film Altered States (1980) which featured a mind-bending story and state-of-the-art special effects. Other major roles soon followed in a variety of films including The Big Chill (1983), Gorky Park (1983), Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), Children Of A Lesser God (1986), Broadcast News (1987), The Accidental Tourist (1987), and the science fiction films Until the End of the World (1991), Dark City (1998) and Lost in Space (1998).
"As far as
Duke Leto is concerned," Hurt stated, "he's a man who is struggling with his destiny. Leto's very aware of the trap that he's in."
William Hurt was familiar with Dune even before the previous filmed version was made. "I first read it not long after it came out—the late sixties or early seventies—and it grabbed me." He said. "I was a science fiction junkie for a long time. What I loved about Dune was that it talked about human politics and the human search for something better."
William Hurt was pleased with how the production came together. "I've really enjoyed it," he said. "I think we're very lucky to have John Harrison as our director. He's chosen some wonderful actors and gives them room to work. I'm amazed by the generosity of the producers and the director to let us find the scenes this way. It just gives you tremendous amounts of energy, and ideas."
Duke Leto and Duncan Idaho
Duke Leto's son, Paul, is the central character of the story. Paul is played by Alec Newman. Alec was born November 27, 1974 in Glasgow, Scotland. Initially, Alec has worked mostly on the stage, however his previous film roles prior to "Frank Herbert’s Dune" were in Rag Nymph (1997) and Greenwich Mean Time (1999). In describing his young co-star, William Hurt stated, "I identify a lot with him. It's not hard to care about him. He's a very generous and a very conscientious actor. It takes a lot of stamina to handle something like this. He is very sturdy and talented. It's hard to find those combinations of sturdiness and great talent. You look at him and you go, I can't think of anybody other than him to play Paul Atreides."
Unlike William Hurt, Alec Newman said, "Before I met John Harrison to talk about the part, I really didn't know Dune at all. After I read the script, I realized that it's really a very human story and it has all the elements of the human world. It's really exciting visually. It's about religion. It's about politics. About social order. There's a debate about morality. They're really well laid out in the book and in John Harrison's script. Although Dune is set in the far distant future, it feels like you're really dealing with a story that has a kind of historical feel."
William Hurt
"From the very word go I realized that whatever else Paul Atreides is—the Kwisatz Haderach foretold by the Bene Gesserit or the Mah'di—the messiah of the Fremen," Alec said, "he is a human being. Paul actually spends a lot of time in the story reacting in a very human way to what people say he is. He reacts with fear, trepidation, and doubt. Then there's a very slow realization of what he is and what destiny has chosen for him. Paul spends a lot of time resisting his destiny until he realizes he actually is this messiah-like figure."
Working on "Frank Herbert’s Dune" also required that he train in the use of weapons and have some action scenes.
Paul Atreides
"I really enjoyed it, so I probably was a bit too much into it. I'd been lucky enough to have had some stage combat training in drama school in London with broadswords and sabers and unarmed combat, so first reading through the script of ‘Frank Herbert’s Dune’ I thought, Great, there's a scrap there! That'll be fun. Actually, it’s been a lot more challenging than I ever anticipated. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't been already trained reasonably well.
"Peter Drozda, the stunt coordinator is quite a character. I wouldn't mess with him because I think with one hand he can throw me and six other guys all over a wall without even thinking about it. He used to be an Olympic wrestler."
Paul Atreides
The camaraderie Alec felt extended to his experience working with director John Harrison. "The great thing about working with John is his imagination," said Alec. "I really trust it. He's very much an actor's director. He manages to keep everything happening through his passion for the story."
Jessica Atreides, the "bound concubine" of Duke Leto, is portrayed by Saskia Reeves, an English actress. "Jessica Atreides has quite an interesting journey herself," said Saskia. "She has gone against the very thing she'd been bred to do [have an Atreides daughter] because of her enormous love for Duke Leto. Her journey is the story of what happens because of her decision to give Leto the son he desired. The decision has resonance. It's a very good story."
Lady Jessica and Paul Atreides
Lady Jessica
Saskia Reeves has appeared in a number of movies prior to co-star-ring in "Frank Herbert’s Dune." Her film work includes A Woman Of Substance (1984), Close My Eyes (1990), The Bridge (1990), December Bride (1990), Antonia And Jane (1991), In The Border Country (1991), Butterfly Kiss (1994), Traps (1994), I.D. (1995), The Perfect Match (1995), Different For Girls (1996), Heart (1998), and L.A. Without a Map (1998).
Although principal photography took more than four months, and Jessica’s scenes were filmed throughout, Saskia found that director John Harrison made the work go smoothly.
"He's a very nice man. I'm curious as to how he keeps his sense of humor under such stressful conditions. He's great company. Very patient, and he's been a good friend. I don't think this shoot would have been as happy as it is if he hadn't been directing it. You can always talk to him. He's that way with every single person on the crew; accessible to us all."
She also spoke highly of her co-stars, Alec Newman and William Hurt. "I work more with them than with anybody else. We've become very good friends and that's reflected in our working relationship. It's been wonderful."
Saskia also found it special to work with one of her former drama teachers, Ian McNeice, who plays the lead villain, Baron Harkonnen
"Ian was with the William Shakespeare Company and the drama school I was at would encourage professional actors to direct the students in their final year of drama school. Ian and I worked together on a couple of plays. Ian is an amazing character and a wonderful person, so to finally get to work together professionally has been a real treat."
Matt Keeslar, Peter Drozda and Alec Newman
Baron Harkonnen
Feyd
HOUSE HARKONNEN
An epic story needs villains and the House Harkonnen, led by Baron Vladimir Harkonnen fits the bill perfectly. The Harkonnens have hated House Atreides and have sought their downfall for ages. Their crusade to bring down the Atreides forms the counterpoint to the rise of Paul Atreides and the ascendance of his family.
The Harkonnen live on the dark planet Geidi Prime. Like their nemesis the Atreides, they are one of the Great Houses, which together with the Emperor and the Spacing Guild form the CHOAM (Combine Honnete Ober Advancer Mercantiles) corporation. CHOAM controls the harvesting of Spice on Arrakis and its distribution throughout the universe.
The Baron is assisted in his ruthless scheming ways by his two nephews, Feyd and his brother Rabban. All three were terrors in their own way.
Treacherous and unprincipled, the Baron is a glutton with a voracious appetite for pleasure and a strong hatred for the Atreides.
Feyd Harkonnen was raised by the Baron and was well-schooled in Harkonnen ruthlessness. He honed his fighting techniques by killing slaves who never really had a fair chance.
Feyd
The Fremen name for Rabban is Mudir Nahya, which translates as "Demon Ruler." The Harkonnens mercilessly subjugated the Fremen during their rule on Arrakis, and Rabban was the Baron's regent there.
Ian McNeice had big shoes to fill as Baron Harkonnen. "I'm fairly big myself," the actor admits, "but they padded me out on top of that." In describing the character he plays McNeice stated, "I think the Baron is one of those delicious Machiavellian characters that is tremendous fun for an actor. I mean he's basically a hedonist. He gorges on everything he sees. His hatred of the House Atreides is also foremost in his mind. In the sequence where Duke Leto dies, the Baron delivers a three-and-a-half page tirade. William [Hurt] sat in a chair opposite me playing a drugged Duke Leto and I basically spattered him with venom for twelve hours. I think he just had one word at the end of it, that's all. I had to thank him for being so patient.
"But I knew that if all I did was go down the Baron’s road of anger and play this one note it could get awfully bori
ng. I managed to find a tremendous amount of humor in the Baron as well and bring that out."
Rabban
Ian McNeice was in London working on a David Copperfield TV mini-series when his agent told him that the producers of "Frank Herbert’s Dune" were interested in talking to him.
"I remembered the movie, and I was very excited because I knew the character very well. The producers and director were interested in a screen test. Luckily the cameraman on the show at the time said he'd help me do something, so we did a screen test with a digital video cam- era. I was wearing a ‘bald’ cap at the time. I thought it would be fun to do something with this so, having read one of the nastier pieces for the part, I tore the skull cap off and revealed this shock of hair underneath. I subsequently heard from John Harrison that they were completely astounded. I think it helped me land the role."
Rabban
McNeice knew ahead of time that one of the unusual character traits of the Baron was that he didn't walk, but instead floated above the ground via anti-gravity devices crafted to support his enormous bulk. The special effects crew rigged up a crane to float the actor just slightly above the floor, and when necessary in extreme circumstances, up to fifteen feet in the air.
In describing the device, McNeice recalled, "They'd built this extension onto a camera crane which was rather comfortable, like a tractor seat. I would sit on this and they could take me and put me up high or move me around. But when it looked as though I was sitting rather than standing, they had to make an adjustment. The device then turned into something rather like a vicious metal bicycle seat, which made my legs go down either side more in a straight line, and with the long costume you couldn't tell how I was supported. But it was incredibly painful. I'm quite a large man, so the whole weight went on to this metal bicycle seat. They did put a bit of foam under there near the end, but I remember that it became a living nightmare.
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