I’ve always liked watching longtime co-stars look back at the people they were when a franchise began. Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya have been making Dune movies together for years, and with Dune: Part Three among the most anticipated releases on the 2026 movie schedule, Chalamet has offered a pretty sweet explanation for why their friendship feels so special. It has a lot to do with when they met.
In a new conversation with The New York Times, the cast reflected on finishing Denis Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy and how much they’ve changed since first arriving on Arrakis. Chalamet, who plays Paul Atreides opposite Zendaya’s Chani, pointed out that people usually grow up with friends from childhood or adolescence. Their experience was a little different, and I like how the sci-fi franchise’s lead put it:
Absolutely. I was thinking about it with Z, usually you grow up with people over your childhood or your adolescence, and it was special with Z to kind of begin working with each other at the end of youth, and at the beginning of adulthood.
I think that’s a lovely way to describe their relationship. They weren’t childhood friends, but they met at an age when life was changing quickly for both of them. And their friendship has extended well beyond Arrakis. Chalamet even credited Zendaya with helping him furnish his New York City apartment because, apparently, his decorating skills could use some work.
They’ve made some wonderfully goofy memories along the way, too. During the first movie’s press tour, Zendaya talked about impromptu dance parties with Chalamet and the rest of the cast. He apparently showed up with a speaker, and everyone started hanging out in her room. I love that these two have a whole collection of silly stories behind characters whose relationship is usually so serious.
Zendaya seemed to feel the passage of time just as strongly. Looking back on the early days, she remembered being anxious and eager to prove herself, while crediting Villeneuve for creating an environment where everyone could learn:
If I look back at the version of us then, it is like a child to me now. Which is a beautiful thing. Because we were all anxious and really coming into it, back then at least, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and wanting to do a good job. I think there’s no better home to have been learning and growing. Because of his kindness and his generosity, Denis is a great leader.
That hits a little differently when you consider where Paul and Chani’s story is headed. Dune: Part Two ended with Paul choosing a political marriage to Princess Irulan, leaving Chani furious. The third film, a page-to-screen adaptation based on Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, jumps ahead years to explore the fallout from his rise to power.
With the final film approaching, the cast still seems to enjoy being together. Just recently, they shared an adorably awkward video announcing the first two movies’ return to theaters. Zendaya tried to organize everyone for the camera, nearly bumped into Florence Pugh, and left Chalamet mostly out of view. Some things apparently never get less funny.
Dune: Part Three opens December 18, and I’m eager to see how their characters’ story ends. After hearing these two talk about growing up on the same sets, I think I’ll be watching their final scenes a little differently.
