Since Anya Taylor-Joy had a surprise role at the end of Dune: Part Two, we’ve been so curious about what to expect from her character. And last week, when Timothée Chalamet unveiled the latest Dune: Part Three trailer, he gave us a better idea. The Dune star called her “terrifying.” But what does Taylor-Joy think about the label?
The footage we’ve seen of Alia Atreides primarily consists of Paul’s sister screaming while covered in blood. So, it’s not completely out of left field for Chalamet to feel this way. But here’s how Taylor-Joy responded to the description of her on set:
If I scare Timmy, then we’re off to a good start. Yes, absolutely.
In a chat with People at the Los Angeles premiere for her Apple TV series, Lucky, Taylor-Joy said she found Chalamet’s comments “absolutely” complimentary. It sounds like getting people scared as Alia was the goal for the actress. Now, if you missed the Paul actor’s comments at the event where Denis Villeneuve was also in attendance, here they are:
Anya is something special in this movie… she’s unbelievable in this movie, that’s not media hyperbole. She’s actually terrifying.
Timothée Chalamet’s big tease about Anya Taylor-Joy happened at Dune: Part Three’s global fan event, which CinemaBlend attended at Los Angeles, California’s AMC Burbank. He hadn’t spent any time with the actress on Dune: Part Two, and the first day on set really took him off guard. How? We don’t totally know, but it piques our curiosity.
The third Dune is based on Frank Herbert’s Dune: Messiah, which also heavily features the character of Alia Atreides. In the source material, Alia becomes a political advisor to Paul after he takes the throne. During the book, she resorts to consuming near-deadly amounts of spice in order to expand her powers, and it really messes with her. Dune: Part Three seems to be following a lot of the book, but we’re definitely expecting some changes between the novel and film.
Previously, Anya Taylor-Joy has called her part in Dune 3 a “very intense” one. The actress said this is because Alia “carries the weight and wisdom of generations and generations in her head”.
Meanwhile, Taylor-Joy isn’t the only newcomer to the Dune movies. Robert Pattinson is also joining in the role of Scytale, a character who comes up with a plan to dethrone Paul.
Dune: Part Three will also star Zendaya as Chani, Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica and Javier Bardem as Stilgar. Then, there’s also the return of Jason Momoa as Hayt, a ghola created in the image of Duncan Idaho. We’ll get to experience Anya Taylor-Joy’s Alia once Dune: Part Three, which is on the 2026 movie calendar, hits theaters on December 18.