Jodhi May talks about Empress Natalya's maneuvers on Dune: Prophecy

Dune: Prophecy has a large cast of characters. We've got Valya and Tula Harkonnen, the mysterious Desmond Hart, Emperor Javicco Corrino, his wife Empress Natalya, and more. With so many people running hither and thither, some might get overlooked, but that would be a mistake. As Empress Natalya proved in the latest episode, she's making important moves in the background even if no one's paying attention to her, leaking information about Desmond Hart killing Pruitt Richese and empowering him to go out and stomp on the emperor's enemies in an attempt to shore up his power.

Natalya is played by Jodhi May, who you might also recognize from shows like Game of Thrones and The Witcher. Alongside other journalists, we got to talk to her about her relationship with her husband the emperor, her children, Desmond Hart, and more. Read our exclusive interview below!

Q: I've got a question about your character Natalya's relationship with her husband Javicco. It seems like it was an arranged marriage. She goes behind his back to make some moves that he doesn't fully know about. Is there real love there? And does she respect him? Or is it more about the political gamesmanship?

Jodhi May: "I think there absolutely has been real love in that relationship, yeah. And I think without it there wouldn't be the sense of absolute disillusionment and disappointment for Natalya. So I think it's a relationship that you was founded on real feeling. But I think for Natalya, what's happened is that she really feels that the his over-reliance on the Sisterhood has destroyed their marriage, and it's destroyed her husband and his capacity to be a leader, and to secure the future of his daughter. So that's really where they clash; Natalya doesn't want to see her daughter defined or destroyed in the same way that her husband has been defined by the Sisterhood.

"So, yeah, that's that's where they clash, I guess. And that's where she has to kind of find a way of maneuvering and regaining control of that situation without drawing attention, in a way that's pretty underhand and perhaps requires the skill of a of a true politician, possibly."

Q: We see a fair amount of Natalya with her daughter Inez. We haven't seen much of Natalya with Constantine, who I think is her stepson. How do you think she sees her relationship with Constantine?

Jodhi May: "Yeah, we haven't explored a lot of that, so I'm intrigued to see how that's going to involve...I like the fact that we're seeing a fusional family...I like the fact that there's a stepson, and I think that throws up all sorts of really intriguing relationships to explore. At the moment, it feels fairly benign, But I think it's gonna be really interesting to see what gets thrown up, and maybe how the balance of that does or doesn't get upset in future episodes. So I know as little as you do about that at this precise moment in time."

Q: Your character is somebody who welcomes Desmont Hart into the Imperium a lot faster than some of the other people. What does Natalya see in him?

Jodhi May: "Yeah, I think it's really interesting her relationship with Desmond Hart, because on the one hand, it seems like she just sees him as a tool, and she's being an opportunist. And she's being very pragmatic. And on the other hand, he presents to her someone who is like her, an outsider who, like her, has the same kind of mistrust of the Sisterhood. And who does seem to be from this world — he believes in Shai-Hulud — that is about mysticism. So it's a very ambiguous relationship, and I think there's a lot of dramatic tension in that relationship, and it's going to be really intriguing to see how it evolves and how it's explored. And I think you're kept guessing as an audience. I don't think she's landed on either side yet. There's a danger that's quite alive in that relationship that I think is gonna be exciting to see what comes out of it."

Thanks very much to Jodhi May for speaking with us! New episodes of Dune: Prophecy air Sundays on HBO.

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