Zendaya teases 'awkward and uncomfortable' romance with Timothée Chalamet in Dune: Part Two

The Dune: Part Two teases keep on coming. Just days after Denis Villeneuve, Timothée Chalamet, and Zendaya previewed the highly-anticipated sequel to attendees of CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Vanity Fair has shared some striking new photos in addition to character and story details from the upcoming film.

2021's Dune teased a potential love story between Chalamet's space prince Paul Atreides and Zendaya's desert warrior Chani, but they only met outside of their dreams at the very end. Now, Zendaya tells Vanity Fair that the characters' romance will be a much bigger part of the sequel. It just took some strategic thinking.

"It was funny trying to figure out in this futuristic space talk, like, how do they flirt?" Zendaya said. "What does that look like for a space warrior and the young duke of a planet? How do they show that they like each other? What does that even sound like? We were definitely trying to navigate that, which was funny because all of us were stumped. I think it's just as foreign to us as it probably is to the characters."

Zendaya, who's earned accolades for her performance on HBO's teen drama Euphoria, said they cracked the case by embracing the "awkward and uncomfortable" nature of Chani's star-crossed infatuation with Paul.

"I was like, does Chani get awkward?" Zendaya said. "Does that happen to her? Does she know what that feels like?"

These aren't small questions. Although Dune: Part Two will be filled with action, Villeneuve knew that "the epicenter of the story is this relationship."

"I kept saying to my crew, 'The most important thing is that spark, that relationship between both of these characters,'" Villeneuve told Vanity Fair. "If we don't capture that, if we don't have that onscreen, there's no movie."

In addition to Chani's increased presence in the story, Dune: Part Two will also highlight a few other female characters in the form of Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and Lady Margot Fenring (Léa Seydoux). Despite the royal nature of Pugh's character, Villeneuve teased that she's feeling vulnerable these days.

"Her stake could not be higher because she's afraid that her father could lose the throne, could lose everything," Villeneuve said of Irulan. "When I met Florence, I was struck by her assurance, how grounded she is as a young woman, how unapologetic. She has something inherently royal about her."

As for Lady Margot, she's an agent of the Bene Gesserit — much like Paul's mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson). They may not be royal, but in many ways they are the power behind the throne.

"It was very playful to work with Léa," Villeneuve said. "It's a character full of surprises."

Dune: Part Two hits theaters on Nov. 3. Check out the full first look at Vanity Fair.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• Dune: Part Two teases Austin Butler's villain: 'Olympic sword master mixed with a psychotic serial killer'
• Florence Pugh in talks to play Princess Irulan in Dune: Part Two
• Doing Dune right: inside the long-awaited (and star-packed) adaptation