The “Dune: Part Two” filmmaker praises the actress for always listening and showing up on set even when she wasn’t filming
Denis Villeneuve told fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg he could see “Dune: Part Two” star Zendaya going behind the scenes to take on the role of director one day.
The one-on-one conversation between the two visionaries came up during a taping of “The Director’s Cut” out Tuesday, with Villeneuve praising the actress for always listening to his directions and showing up on set even when she wasn’t filming.
“Were there any actors on your film that you think will be directors? That were kind of like, over your shoulder, wanting to see the lens, really curious about how you were styling your shots?” Spielberg, who was moderating the podcast chat, asked.
“The truth … there’s someone that spent a lot of time behind the camera listening, Zendaya,” Villeneuve replied.
“She’s so clever, but shows she’s brilliant and her strong presence, and she was always on set even when she was not shooting. Just sitting between [cinematographer] Greg [Fraser] and I listening, listening and listening. So I would not be surprised that one day we learn that she wants to go behind [the camera].”
In response, Spielberg jokingly air-wrote down Zendaya’s interest as a note. “See if Zendaya is available…” he said in jest.
The Emmy-winning actress has already knocked off the role of producer when she took on an executive producer credit in the second season of HBO’s “Euphoria.” She also produced and starred in Netflix’s “Malcolm & Marie” alongside John David Washington.
“Dune: Part Two,” also starring Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Christopher Walken, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh and more, is now in theaters.
