Zendaya reveals brutal desert heat made filming ‘Dune: Part Three’ physically challenging

Robert Pattinson also described unusual challenges on set, including having sweat drained from his head

Zendaya has opened up about the physically demanding experience of filming Dune: Part Three, revealing that extreme desert heat made it difficult to perform even the simplest facial expressions.

The actress discussed the challenges during a recent interview with The New York Times, explaining that the intense sunlight and soaring temperatures made filming particularly exhausting.

“There are scenes where the sun is so bright that I am trying to give another facial expression other than” a look of discomfort, she recalled. “I physically cannot.”

Zendaya added that she was constantly sweating while attempting to stay focused and keep her eyes open during filming.

The cast also had to begin their preparation before sunrise to complete their prosthetics and make-up while temperatures were still relatively cool. According to Zendaya, her co-star Robert Pattinson was often the first person in the make-up chair.

Pattinson also discussed the demanding production conditions, recalling a sequence involving a spaceship mounted on a gimbal near a sand dune and a 350-foot model of a sandworm.

“There are no negatives,” the actor said about his experience working on the film, before describing how sweat sometimes had to be drained from the top of his head.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Three is the final instalment in the filmmaker’s science fiction trilogy and is expected to adapt Frank Herbert’s novel Dune Messiah. The story takes place 17 years after the events of the previous films.

Timothée Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides, now emperor of the universe, while Zendaya reprises her role as Chani. Florence Pugh is also expected to return as Princess Irulan, alongside Christopher Walken.

Zendaya previously described the franchise as deeply meaningful to her, reflecting on the years she spent working on the films and the relationships she developed with the cast.

Dune: Part Three is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on December 18.