Lifestyle
'Dune: Prophecy' series tackles how women view and wield power
Women and how they wield power are at the center of HBO’s new series Dune: Prophecy, a prequel to the epic first imagined by Frank Herbert in the 1960s.
The six-episode season, debuting Sunday on Max, tells the origin story of the matriarchal order later known as the Bene Gesserit, 10,000 years before the rise of messianic figure Paul Atreides. “We like to call it 10,000 years B.C. — before (Timothée) Chalamet,” jokes Emily Watson, who plays the group’s leader, Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen.
“We’re part of this sisterhood that is trying to direct humanity on the right path.” The Oscar nominee spoke with NPR’s Michel Martin during a recent visit in New York with other members of the cast and crew.
Power from the shadows
A few decades before the series’ time period, in what’s known in the Dune universe as the Butlerian Jihad, humans barely triumphed over”thinking machines” — computers and other artificial intelligence.
Emily Watson plays the role of Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen in the new HBO prequel series Dune: Prophecy.
Courtesy of HBO
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Courtesy of HBO
The members of the order — from leaders to the young acolytes they train — advise leaders of the so-called Great Houses, or dynastic seats of power. They pull the strings of power from the shadows, literally whispering into the ears of the men who hold apparent power. They do so discreetly, veiled and dressed in black, while communicating with each other through hand signals.
“As we know from our politics in the U.K., and maybe you might feel in your politics that sometimes it’s not the person at the podium, but the shady characters to one side that you need to keep an eye on,” said SAG Awards nominee Olivia Williams, who plays Valya’s sister, Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen.
The two sisters grow the order through subtlety and mystique in the fledgling Imperium while fighting against a powerful, terrifying new enemy.
“These women were created by a man in the 60s. And the things that make them frightening to men are the same old stuff: women, in order to be scary, are in a convent, they seem to be in some way chaste… It’s like, what are women getting up to when men aren’t there?” Williams said.
“Part of the sisterhood is that they have to maintain this mystery that freaks men out. Because when you look at the Council of the Imperium, it’s still a bunch of blokes. And that if we need to be isolated in a convent style enclave in order to make men fear us, then that’s what we’ll do as Harkonnen sisters.”
The wedding ceremony between the heir to the imperial throne, Princess Ynez Corrino (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) and Pruwet Richese (Charlie Hodson-Prior) sets off a period of major turbulence in Dune: Prophecy.
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Attila Szvacsek/HBO
The women in the sisterhood wield superpowers that allow them to tell whether someone is telling the truth. They can also control their bodies on a cellular level to communicate with their ancestors.
“Truth is like a currency. And he who controls that narrative controls the power in the universe,” Watson said. “And it’s ultimately all down to… the Dune equivalent of oil is spice and he who controls the spice controls the universe.”
Decades-old friendship
It’s fitting that Watson and Williams would be cast as sisters. They have known each other for decades, dating back to when they first joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in the U.K. But they had never worked together until now. Williams reflected on how much has changed in her field since she got her first start.
Emily Watson, left, and Olivia Williams, right, play two Harkonnen sisters who form a sisterhood later known as the Bene Gesserit in Dune: Prophecy.
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Marco Postigo Storel/NPR
“All those years ago, drama schools took 10 men to two to three women in every year to reflect the proportion of casting once you went out into the business,” she said, while sitting alongside Watson. “And just on the sheer numbers, how astonishing to have two — forgive me Emily, if you object to this term — middle-aged women playing the leads and getting the good lines and the great costumes and the storylines in a major HBO Max TV show.”
Members of the sisterhood such as Reverend Mother Kasha (right) pull the strings of power from their discreet positions as advisors to leaders of the Imperium, here Emperor Javicco Corrino (center)
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Photo courtesy of HBO
One of the ways in which the Harkonnen sisters try to gain power is through a carefully calibrated breeding program. Williams sees parallels with Germany under the Nazi regime and the lead-up to World War II.
“Their motives are appallingly set in the world of eugenics, which is was dreadful when it was was dabbled with in the 1930s in a lot of scientific communities throughout the world, and I don’t look forward to it coming back again to fashion in 10,000 years time,” she said.
“But it’s an interesting study that over the many, many centuries we’re talking, that is still a preoccupation of people. Really, it’s depressing, but I think it’s probably true.”
Sisterhood leaders place much of their hopes for the future in young acolyte Lila (Chloe Lea) in the HBO prequel series Dune: Prophecy.
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Attila Szvacsek/HBO
The Harkonnen sisters may not be ideal female role models, but the complexity of the characters is what Watson calls “a really tasty dish” for an actor. She and Williams drew some of their inspiration from the bloodier chapters of British royal history.
They visited the National Portrait Gallery in London to view portraits of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots to try to “get a sense of what that deeply powerful, paranoid complex, born out of violence” character might be,” Watson said.
Williams muses about more reasonable and palatable female protagonists. “What is interesting to me is seeing women who are well and healthily integrated into society and can still be wise and powerful,” she said. “That would be an interesting project.”
The broadcast version of this story was produced by Claire Murashima.
Lifestyle
How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Deidre Hall
For half a century, Deidre Hall has taken on every kind of disaster in the drama-packed town of Salem, Ill., as a star of “Days of Our Lives.”
There was the time — actually, it happened twice — when her character, Dr. Marlena Evans, was famously possessed by the devil and even levitated.
In Sunday Funday, L.A. people give us a play-by-play of their ideal Sunday around town. Find ideas and inspiration on where to go, what to eat and how to enjoy life on the weekends.
Or the time a serial killer, who was actually Marlena under hypnosis, seemed to kill several beloved characters. The long-running show’s storylines have become legendary, and in March, while promoting “Hail Mary,” actor Ryan Gosling even gave Hall a shout-out, admitting he was a fan, praising the hard work of soap opera actors and calling her an “OG acting inspiration.”
But Hall’s real life in Santa Monica is much quieter than her character’s, and she likes it that way.
“When I bought my house in Santa Monica, I didn’t realize how great it would be to live near Montana Avenue,” says Hall, 78, about the popular shopping spot. Every day, she walks to the main street with her golden retriever, Riley, and enjoys Pilates, art and good food along the way. “The owners of the Farms Market even keep dog biscuits, so guess where the dog wants to go every time we walk — the Farms, of course,” she says, laughing.
When she isn’t filming the daily soap opera, which airs on Peacock, Hall enjoys raising monarch butterflies, exploring the shops and restaurants on Montana, and hosting movie nights at home with her two sons.
Here’s what a perfect day in L.A. looks like for her.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for length and clarity.
7 a.m.: Breakfast and dog walk
I usually kick off my day with a protein shake, feed our golden retriever and take her out for a walk. She’s a phenomenal girl. When we adopted her, her name was Riley, but I did think about naming her after Mrs. Hughes from “Downton Abbey.”
10 a.m.: Church and garden time
After I walk the dog and go to church, I like to spend some time in my yard. I’m not a natural gardener, but I really enjoy it. I started raising monarch butterflies because my identical twin sister, who played my twin on the show, planted a butterfly garden. Monarchs are amazing because they are transitional. Every year, they travel from Mexico to southern New England, but it’s getting harder for them. Their numbers have dropped by about 80%. To help, I plant milkweed, which is what they need to survive. I buy my milkweed from the Staghorn Garden on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. Julie, who owns the nursery, is delightful and has a wide variety of milkweed. The monarchs always seem to find my garden. Julie was raising some caterpillars too, and she cared a lot about them. We talked about how important it is to help the butterflies. That’s why I do this. Sometimes I get milkweed with eggs already on it, and Julie knows her butterflies are going to a good home.
1 p.m.: Walk to Montana Avenue for some lunch
I live near Montana and love taking long walks, going to Pilates and trying out the great restaurants nearby, like R+D Kitchen and La La Land. I’m a big fan of the waffles at the Courtyard Kitchen. Just a few days ago, I had a chicken salad on raisin bread with an Arnold Palmer, and it was delicious. It is right on Montana and has a nice outdoor seating area. It’s one of my favorite spots. La La Land always has a long line in the morning, which is perfect if you want coffee. They serve coffee, doughnuts, croissants and avocado toast. There’s plenty of outdoor seating, and you can even bring your dog.
2 p.m.: Peek inside a clock shop
There’s a small clock shop on Montana Avenue that’s closed on Sundays, but if you walk by, you’ll see all kinds of clocks — standing, table and wall clocks. The owner is great at fixing them. Once, I bought a wall clock from MacKenzie-Childs, but it didn’t work. And I was really upset because it matched everything else on my countertop. I brought it to the owner and said, “I love this, but I can’t make it work.” He fixed it right away. His name is John, but I call him Geppetto. And we all know why. He really does have a magic touch.
2:30 p.m.: Visit a neighborhood art gallery
Ten Women Gallery is run by 10 artists, all of whom show their work there. I was drawn to some watercolors there, bought a few cards and spoke with one of the artists. She told me, “You seem to love watercolors,” and mentioned that the artist who painted them, Pamela Harnois, lives in Los Angeles and teaches nearby. I got Pamela’s name and found out she taught at the Brentwood Art School. I was so inspired by her gift that I started taking private lessons with her on Saturdays. That gallery is where I discovered my love for watercolor painting.
3 p.m.: Grab some ice cream at Rori’s
The other day, my longtime girlfriend wanted to get ice cream and told me, “We are walking to Rori’s Artisanal Creamery.” It’s a small shop on Montana near Lincoln. They make everything themselves, using local ingredients from grass-fed cows with no added hormones. The place is family-owned and probably has the healthiest ice cream you’ll find. They switch up their flavors often, but my favorite is the salted caramel.
6 p.m.: Family dinner and movie night at home
R+D Kitchen is always packed, so my sons, who are 31 and 33, do the cooking. They come over, and together we make salads and cook dinner. There’s a neighborhood grocery store called the Farms, off Montana, a small family-run place that has everything we need. Everyone knows each other there, and people bring their dogs. We try to have movie night every Sunday. Sometimes the day changes, but we always make sure to have one night a week where we cook a meal and sit down as a family. Keeping that tradition has become really important to us. My sons are great cooks, which is funny because they definitely didn’t get that from me. [Laughs]
9 p.m.: Take Riley for one last walk and visit neighbors
After dinner, I take my dog for a walk. It’s a great way to meet neighbors. We always go around the same block. We’ve met so many people, and since she’s a golden retriever, she loves meeting everyone.
10 p.m.: News, knitting and bedtime
I am a news junkie, so I usually watch whatever is on the news before I go to bed. I have a long-standing passion for knitting. Lately, though, the news would make me drop a stitch.
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