Jason Momoa Reveals The Hilarious Injury Timothee Chalamet Gave Him On Dune
Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" is one of the most highly-anticipated releases of 2021 thanks to its star-studded cast and the ambitious vision it has of Frank Herbert's iconic science-fiction novel. The trailers released for the film so far show off its huge scale and the battle House Atreides finds itself in when the family arrive on the sandy planet of Arrakis. For those not familiar with the story, Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) travels to Arrakis when his family is placed in charge of the planet. Arrakis is responsible for the production of a drug called Melange — commonly known as spice — which prolongs human life, grants prescient abilities and also allows the Navigation Guild to pilot massive ships across the galaxy. The galaxy's reliance on spice means whoever is in charge of Arrakis effectively holds the most power in the universe, which is why House Atreides comes under fire from its greedy rivals: House Harkonnen.
Basically, it's an epic tale of good versus evil as Paul has to lead Arrakis as a messianic figure to keep it from falling to the Harkonnens. Don't worry, it's not all inter-planetary politics and backstabbing; Chalamet gets involved with the action too. The most recent "Dune" trailer saw the star viciously fighting soldiers in the desert, so it looks like it'll be a thrilling affair.
But Jason Momoa — who plays swordsman Duncan Idahoe — recently revealed a surprising injury Chalamet gave him when they were filming together.
Timothée Chalamet kneed Jason Momoa in a sensitive place
Total Film recently published an in-depth look at "Dune" with plenty of interviews with the cast and crew about what to expect from Arrakis, House Atreides and the Fremen. Jason Momoa revealed that he paid the price for making fun of Timothée Chalamet's slender frame in the trailer. "There are these outtakes where I went up to Timmy, and I go, 'Look at you, d*** and ribs'" he said. Momoa explained that director Denis Villenueve didn't understand the joke at first "Denis comes up and says, 'What is this talk about the ribs and his d***? I don't understand.'"
The star went on to say "I'm like, 'Well, it's funny, because Timmy's so skinny.' He's like, 'OK. Maybe you can do it in another way?'" It's understandable that Villeneuve wanted Momoa to phrase the joke a little differently, since House Atreides is a little more civilized than that. But then Momoa confirmed "Timothée [got me back]." He explained Chalamet saw an opportunity to get his revenge when filming the moment Duncan hugs Paul, which can be seen in the trailer. "When I hug him he kneed me in the balls so hard! You can see it if you watch in slo-mo." Ouch.
Clearly Momoa and Chalamet had a fun dynamic on set, so hopefully that comes through in the film — because Duncan is one of Paul's closest friends. It'll be interesting to see if Chalamet's revenge makes it into the "Dune" theatrical cut when the film debuts in theaters and HBO Max on October 22.