Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya Admit It's 'Weird' to Kiss on Screen in Dune: Part Two Because They're Such 'Good' Friends

They have been close friends since they started working on the first blockbuster Dune film in 2019.

And so it seemed “weird as hell” for Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya when they finally had to kiss on camera for the highly anticipated Dune: Part Two, which hits theaters March 1.

The 28-year-old Call Me By Your Name star and the 27-year-old Euphoria actress spoke with Entertainment tonight about the awkwardness of playing romantic leads when they were already good “platonic” friends.

The costars, who were in Mexico City on Monday to promote their upcoming sci-fi epic, also had to deal with the added complications of having other romantic partners, as Zendaya is currently dating Spider-Man star Tom Holland , while Timothée has been romancing lately. Kylie Jenner.

“It's definitely weird,” Zendaya said of their on-screen kiss. “I think we're both like, 'Okay. This is our job. Okay, we're going to do this.”

He stars in the film as Paul Atreides, the heir to the now decimated House Atreides, who becomes a messianic figure for Chani (Zendaya), a member of the Fremen tribe on the desert world of Arakis; still from Dune: part two

Timothée went even further, calling the intimate display “damn weird” because the two are “so close platonically.”

“In the scope of the movie, it's just what happens, but I also feel like we're so close now that it's really like another day at work,” he added.

The Little Women actor joked, “I don't know what that says about the nature of our work, but it's just another day at work.”

He stars in the film as Paul Atreides, the heir of the now decimated House Atreides, who is left behind on the desert world of Arakis with his mother, while the members of House Harkonnen, responsible for the slaughter of his family, continue the lucrative activities take over the planet. natural resources.

Zendaya was briefly introduced in the first film as Chani, a member of the desert-dwelling Fremen tribe who will teach Paul how to survive in the punishing environment so he can lead her people to rise up against the galactic forces who colonize their planet.

Zendaya credited the film's director and co-writer, Denis Villeneuve, with helping them navigate the difficult terrain and balance their more intimate scenes with the Dune's grand plot, rather than simply a love story to continue.

“In this particular love story, I think we are so grateful that Denis is at the helm of this very special thing,” she said. “He's always found a way to somehow – among all the epic nature of the Dune universe – find a way to build a very sentimental, beautiful love story that, in my opinion, is in many respects is deserved.'

Timothée has explored different types of romance in the Oscar-winning Call Me By Your Name, as well as other critically acclaimed films including Lady Bird, Little Women and Bones And All, while Zendaya has explored a hyper-stylized version of high school dating. hit HBO show Euphoria, but their characters' romance in Dune had little precedent in their previous projects.

“It was definitely something we were trying to understand because you can't say, 'What's up, shawty?'” she joked about Dune's futuristic setting and unconventional social relationships.

'You see the moments in between throughout the film. The things that remain unsaid,” Zendaya said of their characters' budding romance. 'The looks between characters – so much is said just with looks. I think it happens with all the characters, and especially with Paul and Chani.”

“In the scope of the film, it's totally what happens, but I also feel like we're so close now that it's really like another day at work,” Timothée said of their kissing and romantic scenes; Taken a photo together in Paris in 2021

Zendaya credited director and co-screenwriter Denis Villeneuve with ensuring their on-screen romance was “earned” and not tacked on; still from Duin (2021)

They also struggled with creating a romance that made sense with Dune's futuristic setting. “It was definitely something we were trying to understand, because you can't say, 'What's up, Shawty?'” she joked; both pictured in Mexico City on Monday

“I think we've built a lot in just short glances, with everything they keep in there,” she added. '[It may be] a brief moment between us, but so much can be said.”

The two stars will be joined in Dune: Part Two by newcomers Austin Butler, who will play the psychopathic Harkonnen heir Feyd-Rautha, and Florence Pugh, who will play the galactic emperor's daughter Princess Irulan, who will enter into a marriage of convenience with Paul. .

Rebecca Ferguson also returns from the first film as Paul's mother, while Josh Brolin reprises his role as part of the Harkonnen clan and Stellan Skarsgård plays the Baron Harkonnen.

Christopher Walken will also be introduced as the previously unseen Emperor Shaddam IV.