Anya Taylor-Joy’s work on the silver screen has become unavoidable. After her breakthrough role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split, the actress is seemingly everywhere, from big blockbusters like Furiosa and Dune, to smaller cult favorites like The Menu and The Northman. Even though her movie star career is fairly young, Taylor-Joy has had the opportunity to work with a wide range of filmmakers. Now, she is getting candid about what made the Dune: Part Three experience with Denis Villeneuve so unique, as she continues to remain mum about her Furiosa challenges.
The Queen's Gambit star recently opened up about getting the opportunity to work with Villeneuve on the upcoming Dune threequel. She only had a small cameo role as Alia Atreides in the second film, with that production coinciding with Furiosa’s intense filming schedule. Now, for the third film, she was able to work with Villeneuve properly and truly immerse herself in the sandy world of Arrakis. Overall, while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor-Joy had a lot of kind words to share on the experience of collaborating with Villeneuve:
Dune: Part Three was everything that I hoped it would be. I cannot say more wonderful things about Denis [Villeneuve]. 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. 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.
This is a bit of a sharp contrast to how the A-lister talks about her experience on Furiosa. She has shared some of her hangups with the production of the 2024 action film, like how she had to fight for the ending she wanted for her character. Nevertheless, Taylor-Joy has been very guarded about how she discusses the film’s director George Miller.
Earlier this year, Taylor-Joy told THR that sharing her entire perspective on that experience would "hurt" only herself and is something she will keep mum about, at least for two decades. Yet she's also said she respects the vision Miller was going for. In the end, Furiosa received mostly strong reviews from critics.
While Miller’s vision and directing style seemingly clashed with Taylor-Joy’s hopes for the film and her character, she apparently totally clicked with Villeneuve’s way of creating. She even credited the filmmaker for invigorating her love for the art form, especially with the amount of care he takes when approaching Dune's beloved source material:
I have so much love and passion for this art form and this beautiful thing that I get to do. And when I think about myself in the future, I hope that I never get jaded and that I still have that childlike exuberance. 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.
Sounds like for Taylor-Joy, working with Villeneuve was a dream collaboration, and they made for a great artistic pair. By all accounts, the actress also nailed her portrayal of Alia. Her co-star and on-screen brother, Timothée Chalamet, praised her work and referred to her performance as "terrifying." If you ask me, that's a pretty serious compliment from someone who's given intense performances himself.
Those who've read the Dune books may have a good idea about the role Taylor-Joy will play in the upcoming movie. In general, though, it's known that the film will serve as a conclusion to Denis Villeneuve's acclaimed trilogy. This is set to be a defining moment for Chalamet's Paul Atreides, and I can't wait to see how Taylor-Joy's Alia factors in. I'll also be even happier watching the film knowing that the actress had such a good time shooting the film.
You can see Anya Taylor-Joy in Dune: Part Three, which hits theaters nationwide on December 18 as part of the 2026 movie schedule. You can also see her very brief cameo in the second Dune film, which is available with an HBO Max subscription. Also, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga can be streamed on that same platform.
