Anya Taylor-Joy learned so much watching how director Denis Villeneuve conducted himself on the set of Dune: Part Three.
The Queen's Gambit star made a brief cameo as Alia Atreides, the sister of Timothée Chalamet's lead character Paul, in 2023's Dune: Part Two, and is set to have a much bigger role in Villeneuve's third and final chapter.
Reflecting on the shoot in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor-Joy praised the Arrival director for leading "from a place of love" despite the magnitude of the sci-fi epic and the harsh shooting environment.
"I cannot say more wonderful things about Denis. I learnt so much. I just wanted to be a sponge on that set and pick up everything in terms of the atmosphere and what it is to lead from a place of love," she gushed. "It was so deeply inspiring to be in these really harsh elements and know that every person is doing their absolute best work because they believe, trust and adore the person that's leading the ship. He deeply loves it."
The Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga star, 30, hopes to maintain her "love and passion" for the work even after decades in the industry, just like the Canadian director.
"When I think about myself in the future, I hope that I never get jaded and that I still have that childlike exuberance," she explained. "So when I look at Denis, I'm like, Oh, it's possible. You can get to this ultimate place and still just be a kid who wants to create these beautiful worlds and do it at such an amazing level of quality."
Dune: Part Three, also starring Zendaya, Florence Pugh and Robert Pattinson, will be released on 18 December.