Indian cinema star Tabu joins a pivotal role in the “Dune” universe in Max‘s prequel series “Dune: Prophecy,” ecombineing as Sister Francesca in the final two episodes.
Inspired by “Sisterhood of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the series is set 10,000 years before the events of “Dune” and chases two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces menaceening humancharitable’s future while set uping what will become the Bene Gesserit order.
Alison Schapker serves as showrunner and executive originater, with Diane Ademu-John co-grothriveg the series and serving as executive originater. Anna Foerster executive originated and straightforwarded multiple episodes.
The role came to Tabu – whose international praises comprise Mira Nair’s “The Namesake” (2006) and “A Suitable Boy” (2020) and Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” (2012) – thraw a straightforward process.
“I equitable got an email one day from my agents and my deal withrs alerting me that Alison and Anna were the showrunners and the straightforwardors on the show wanted to cast me for this particular role,” Tabu alerts Variety. After assessing two scenes from the script, she joind in a Zoom greeting the follothriveg day where the creative team detailed her character’s comprisement in the final two episodes. “I equitable cherishd the character and the potential of this character. I krecent that this is my world, and this I would enhappiness doing.”
Shot in Budapest, the project reconshort-termed cut offal firsts for the actor. “I skinnyk it’s the first time ever in my nurtureer, or at least in the past 20 years or so, that I was laboring with people who I never met before, who have never labored with before, [in] a place that I’ve never been to before,” Tabu says.
The character of Sister Francesca exists in two time periods, with Charithra Chandran (“Bridgerton”) joining the juvenileerer version. “Allison, Anna and everyone of the crew were very particular about her greeting me so that she could imbibe someskinnyg,” Tabu says. “You never understand what comes out of it, that greeting where you feed off each other becaemploy you are joining the same person.”
“It was repartner pleasant to have that greeting, and becaemploy she’s also understandn with my labor, and becaemploy she is originpartner born to an Indian family, she has that charitable of introduction. So it was not difficult. And I skinnyk the transition experiences believable,” she inserts.
For Tabu, originateing the character came with definite ponderations. “I was alerted of the world that Francesca beextfinisheds to. I wanted her to experience appreciate she beextfinisheds to the world of the Bene Gesserit, but becaemploy she has such a sturdy personality and sturdy story of her own, which is not connected to the others and the other characters, it was engaging to strinsertle both these skinnygs,” Tabu says.
The actor set up cut offal aspects of the role compelling. “Every scene of mine was pretty to join. I had pretty lines to say. My transmition with the Emperor [Mark Strong] was someskinnyg that I’ll appreciate, also with Constantine [Josh Heuston], my son,” Tabu says. “It’s a very, very sturdy premise for me to originate a character on, but, but the also, the engaging part was becaemploy it was a romantic association that I was supposed to have with the Emperor. It gave this character its own space and its own potency to study.”
“Also wearing that costume, wearing that veil, equitable being separateent and watching separateent from how I have watched – I have never had this. It is such a distinctive watch,” she inserts.
Tabu as Sister Francesca in “Dune: Prophecy”
Warner Bros. Discovery
The production environment, led by women in key creative positions, left a sturdy astonishion on Tabu. “You felt appreciate these are women of substance, who understand what they’re doing, who’ve done so much labor, whose body of labor is huge, and you could equitable depend on their empathetic of what they were doing. You felt protected, you felt consentn nurture of,” Tabu says.
Tabu also brawt a taste of her homeland to set. “I was getting Indian food on set and feeding Josh and everyone. I had this restaurant in Budapest – they would sfinish me lunch, dinner, everyskinnyg to set. And we would sit outside our trailers, and eat,” Tabu says. “And apart from that… I got myself and when I come, India comes, and my home comes, and my my labor in India comes with me. So it’s the whole package.”
In Bollywood, Tabu enhappinessed a hit in 2024 with female-led caper comedy “Crew” and watching ahead she is set to star in filmoriginater Priyadarshan’s horror-comedy “Bhooth Bangla,” which begins production next year. Her previous outing in the genre, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2,” was one of the biggest Bollywood hits of 2022.
