Robert Pattinson has faced vampires, crime, and cosmic horror across his career — but according to the actor, nothing compares to the sheer intensity of filming Dune: Part Three under the punishing desert sun. In a recent interview with IndieWire, the 39-year-old star described his surreal and oddly peaceful experience shooting Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming sci-fi epic.
"When I was doing Dune, it was so hot in the desert that I just couldn't question anything, it was so relaxing, like my brain actually wasn't operating. I didn't have a single functioning brain cell. I was just listening to Denis [Villeneuve], like, 'Whatever you want!'"Robert Pattinson
For Pattinson, who joked that he’s made "like, 19 movies in a row," the experience became strangely meditative. "It’s actually really nice," he said. "I just stopped thinking entirely — and now I’m taking that into other roles." His co-interviewee Jennifer Lawrence quipped in response, "You’re just too exhausted to worry anymore. It’s parenting," to which Pattinson laughed in agreement.
The acclaimed actor joins Dune: Part Three as Villeneuve expands his cinematic interpretation of Frank Herbert's universe beyond the original Dune book, into Dune Messiah. This third chapter will introduce Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke as Leto II and Ghanima, the twin children of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya). Plot details remain tightly guarded, but Villeneuve has confirmed the film will continue exploring the psychological and political fallout of Paul’s reign following the events of Part Two.
Pattinson is rumored to play the villain of the story, named Scytale, who is part of a shadowy organization called the Bene Tleilax that wants to undermine Paul Atreides' rule over the galaxy.
The Dune films are notorious for their grueling shoot conditions. Dune: Part Two actor Austin Butler (Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen) previously told Entertainment Weekly that temperatures reached "110 degrees" on set, adding that "people were passing out from heat stroke." Pattinson, however, found solace in surrendering to the elements, a mindset that appears to have influenced his approach to acting as a whole.
As Dune: Part Three moves through post-production, Pattinson’s blend of exhaustion and enlightenment seems to have given him a newfound clarity.
Dune: Part Three is currently slated to release in theaters on December 18, 2026. The first two films are available to stream on HBO Max.