Zendaya Reveals Her Biggest On-Set Fear While Filming Dune With Timothee Chalamet

Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet knew all eyes would be on "Dune" following the success of Denis Villeneuve's previous sci-fi hits, "Arrival" and "Blade Runner 2049," which put him among the genre's leading filmmakers. Adapting Frank Herbert's 1965 novel by the same name to the big screen had proved to be an impossible feat time and time again, including for big-time visionaries like David Lynch, whose 1984 version "should be lodged near the top of any sensible list of the worst films in history," as the BBC's Nicholas Barber argued. Alejandro Jodorowsky went so far as to make a 2013 documentary about his unsuccessful attempt at it back in the '70s.

Talk about a challenge — but Villeneuve was up for it and didn't disappoint. "Dune" received an 83% critics rating and a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, showing it was popular among critics and viewers alike. The 2021 film was also a box-office hit, grossing nearly $400 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, against a budget of $165 million, as ScreenRant noted.

"Dune" star Zendaya knew the pressure was on and was understandably shaken when she walked on the set. "Going in there, I was intimidated," Zendaya told E! News in October 2021. "I was like, I want to do my best work, you know?" But Chalamet's presence immediately calmed her nerves. "This guy made it such a warm environment to work [in]," she added. But then a smelly issue arose that made Zendaya nervous to film up-close scenes opposite Chalamet.

Zendaya was anxious about having bad breath when she filmed with Timothée Chalamet for reasons that were beyond her control. When Zendaya auditioned for the role of Chani in "Dune," filmed in mid-2019, the Emmy-winning actor had recently had her wisdom teeth extracted, which can lead to pungent complications. "My biggest fear was that my mouth would be vile, and then I would have to do a scene with Timothée where we have to be really close, and he would smell my possible dry socket breath," Zendaya told W magazine in a March 3 feature. Zendaya's fears were most likely unfounded, as Chalamet appeared nowhere close to disturbed by Zendaya's presence. 

In fact, Zendaya and Chalamet had great chemistry both on- and offscreen. "Immediately I was like, 'Oh, we're going to be friends for life. Like, this is happening.' So that was great and I had an incredible time," Zendaya told E! News, adding she hopes to collaborate with Chalamet again in the future. "Because selfishly, I just want to have fun."

The feelings were mutual. Chalamet vibed with Zendaya's energy the minute he met her in Jordan, one of the project's filming locations. "We were in a part of the world that I'd never been in before and we just had so much fun and she brought a great energy," Chalamet told Glamour UK in October 2021. "I think we can tap into a similar chaos and that's important."