Dune: Prophecy Star Emily Watson Clarifies Her Brutal Star Wars Comment After Apparently Calling the Franchise “childish”
- Emily Watson clarifies why Dune: Prophecy cannot be compared to Star Wars.
- Fans have mixed reaction to Watson calling Star Wars 'childish'.
- Dune: Prophecy is set to premiere on November 17, 2024, on MAX.
British actress Emily Watson will be seen portraying the role of Valya Harkonnen, leader of the Sisterhood, in the upcoming science fiction television series Dune: Prophecy. She is widely known for her role in HBO’s miniseries Chernobyl as Ulana Khomyuk, a nuclear physicist from Minsk. She has been highly appreciated for her work in the miniseries.
Watson, who started her career on stage and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1992, used her experience to prepare for Dune: Prophecy. The actress is excited for the audience to experience the series that is set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet in the movies. Ahead of the release of the series, the British actress makes a comparison between Star Wars and Dune: Prophecy.
Emily Watson clarifies her statement; Dune: Prophecy’s not childish and it’s not like Star Wars
Actress Emily Watson will be leading the highly awaited science fiction series Dune: Prophecy set 10,000 years before Denis Villeneuve’s movies. She plays the role of Valya Harkonnen, leader of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood in the female-led TV prequel.
Ahead of the release of the series, the actress spoke to Games Radar+ at the New York Comic Con, where she stated that Dune: Prophecy cannot be compared to George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise. She explained her statement by stating.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Star Wars. I am a huge Star Wars fan. But we’re in a universe where there isn’t ‘right’ anymore. There aren’t goodies and baddies. Everything is relative.
Watson added everybody is morally flawed, some very deeply and some lesser, but moral relativism, compromise, and human flaws are what drive the story forward. She had previously shared with Total Film that working on the show was very exciting but also very great to go into the world with the security of knowing that she’s got the skill set to make everything feel real. She noted,
Dune: Prophecy is a very interesting palette because it’s not childish…It’s not like Star Wars. It has a moral complexity, which is interesting.
Fans have also shared their opinion on Emily Watson’s view of not comparing Dune: Prophecy to Star Wars. One of the Reddit users wrote, ‘She was amazing in Chernobyl, so if she’s excited about this project, then it’s promising.’ Another user agreed by stating, ‘Aside from Andor, yes, it most certainly is.’
A user mentioned, ‘I just don’t think anyone who likes Star Wars even knows what they want out of Star Wars.’ One user went on to explain, ‘Star Wars is very much ‘light side vs. dark side’ with maybe one character who is grey enough that the good guys are trying to pull them over to their side. Dune is very political and philosophical. Its primary message is that it’s a big protagonist who we root for is actually a net negative.’
There has been a lot of mixed reaction to Watson calling Star Wars childish, but her being a part of Dune: Prophecy has given the fans the confidence that it’s going to deliver.
Emily Watson says the Dune universe is a rich territory for acting
In her conversation with Variety, Watson revealed that she wasn’t familiar with Frank Herbert’s Dune universe before she said yes to the project. She added that it’s a universe she wasn’t particularly aware of but noted that it is a rich territory for acting, adding that there is a lot to sink one’s teeth into.
Talking about her character Valya, she said,
It’s quite a departure for me to play somebody this badass. Valya is really strong, driven, kind of manipulative, and very smart and clever. She is always one step ahead. She’s good at letting other people think that they are the ones pulling the strings.
Watson noted that her character Valya controls the narrative, adding that it’s a dark art that she practices. The British actress further mentioned that the story is a complex, amoral place where everyone has his or her own agenda. She also shared that with Valya Harkonnen, the hype and the phenomenon were from the start, and she thanked the fans for that.
When asked about the future, the actress said she had a blast doing the show and would love to do more. But she didn’t forget to add that it can’t be known until it’s close to the wire.
Dune: Prophecy is set to premiere on November 17, 2024, on MAX.
