Emily Watson on ‘Dune: Prophecy’ Season 2: ‘Lots of New Elements’

Starring in HBO Max’s “Dune: Prophecy” has been a major “departure” for Emily Watson, whose lauded career was built upon major independent and arthouse successes such as Lars von Trier’s “Breaking the Waves” and Robert Altman’s “Gosford Park.” As she embarks on a second season of the hit show, the actress feels more settled in the sprawling sci-fi world, she noted at the Variety Lounge, presented by the Sarajevo Film Festival and BH Telecom.

“It was a true departure for me to be in a spaceship,” she said. “You know, it’s actually really good fun.” Speaking about reprising her role as Valya Harkonnen in the upcoming second season of the series, which has been shot but still has no release date, Watson said she experienced a “sense of being on a quest in a way that actors always get to do and actresses don’t. And that was just fun.” 

Asked if she could share anything about the highly secretive series, the actress offered a brief tease: “There are a lot of new elements, really interesting and intriguing things […] I think my head will blow off if I mention any of them,” she quipped. 

What about another major upcoming entry in the “Dune” world with Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Three”? “I mean, I can’t wait to see that movie,” she promptly responded. “I’m a huge fan of him, obviously, and it’s stuffed full of incredible actors that I love.”

Watson recalled first stepping into the massive “Dune” world: “It’s HBO Max, it’s huge. A lot of money. It’s a sense of it being much more than a corporate world. But it was a big ensemble of young women, some young men, who were all relatively new to the business.” The veteran has often spoken about her affinity for mentoring young performers, and she reiterated this desire when embarking on “Prophecy.”

The actress recalled “how hard” it is to be away from family for long periods of shooting. “Putting it all together is a challenge,” she said, adding that, “especially in the world of independent film,” it is all about “relationships.” 

“I always give people advice to nurture a relationship with somebody less experienced,” she noted. “Interconnectedness is how we all survive. Surviving in the world of independent film is hard. There are so many things that fall by the wayside, get destroyed and steamrolled. If we are all together, we are stronger, and I think building relationships with more inexperienced people is really important.” 

Watson first came to Sarajevo in 2005, as a curator of the Katrin Cartlidge Foundation. Her screen partner on “Breaking the Waves” died aged 41 in 2002, with Sarajevo setting up a filmmaking bursary in her name shortly after. Speaking about being back in Bosnia so many years later, now as the president of the jury and the recipient of a Heart of Sarajevo Award, Watson said it’s been “quite overwhelming.” 

The actress revisited Von Trier’s film at this year’s festival, which she called a “very emotional” experience, mostly because of her deep connection to Cartlidge. “Also just being here, meeting all these incredible filmmakers, seeing these amazing films… This festival feels like the pure form of what a festival should be. It embodies the idea that culture is resistance.”

As for what is next, on top of the new season of “Dune: Prophecy,” Watson also recently shot Mira Nair’s historical drama “AMRI.” The film depicts the life of the Hungarian-Indian painter Amrita Sher-Gil, with Watson playing the artist’s mother. “I left Harkonnen and went straight to that,” recalled the actress. 

“I’m playing a Hungarian woman, so we were shooting in Budapest, then we went to India, and I was suddenly surrounded by Indian actors and crew with Mira, and it was the most amazing adventure,” she said. “It’s a really interesting story. I can’t wait to see how that comes out. They’re in editing now, so we’ll see, but [Nair] is an extraordinary filmmaker and an amazing person to be around. She is one of those people who kind of gathers an energy and a force. It was amazing.”