It’s fun to think about what current young movie stars we’ll eventually look back on the most fondly and with the most respect in the decades to come. For the moment, it certainly feels like the 20-something talents of Florence Pugh, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya are among the brightest stars we have right now, and this fall they will all be among the cast of Dune: Part Two. Ahead of the sequel, Pugh has likened her co-star to a previous named generational talent: Leonardo DiCaprio.
It’s not the first time the comparison has been made. Both Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio found major success on film early in their careers, most notably for the former through James Cameron’s Titanic. Recently speaking with Vanity Fair, Florence Pugh said of the 27-year-old Dune star,
He’s our Leo.
If Chalamet is DiCaprio, does that mean Florence Pugh is this generation’s Kate Winslet? That’s the conclusion Vanity Fair draws, and it lines up. Sure, they are both British and blonde bombshells with award recognition early in their careers, but there certainly is an assured elegance about the two of them as well that makes these parallels make sense for them. Pugh continued:
To do Dune with those specific actors at the front, like Timmy [Chalamet] and Zendaya and Austin [Butler]—they are remarkable people, number one, and unbelievable actors, number two. They’re stars in their own ways, not in the cliché way of using the word. They’re just—they’re sparkly people. I’m now lucky enough to call them all my friends, which is super exciting. For me to be able to work with the ‘young Hollywood’ of the moment, and them being beautiful people, and then have them on my phone when I want to text them—to see that that’s the direction in which our industry is going is such a wonderful feeling.
Release Date: November 3, 2023 (Theaters)
Directed By: Denis Villeneuve
Written By: Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve & Eric Roth
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and more.
Florence Pugh shared how much she loved working with her Dune cast because of all the star power and because there are really great people behind the big names. In the 2023 movie release, Pugh will play the role of Princess Irulan, who we got a first look at in the Dune: Part Two trailer, a pivotal character who will once again have the actress and Chalamet playing love interests after the actors first stared together in 2019’s Little Women. Chalamet has previously said they have an inside joke about working together again for these specific roles.
Since we’re still comparing the actors with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, it’s worth noting that the pair of actors have remained friends since their early roles in Titanic and went on to reunite two decades later for 2008’s Revolutionary Road. Wouldn’t it be sweet if these two find that kind of friendship and working relationship?
DiCaprio and Chalamet have crossed paths before, and when they did the seasoned actor reportedly told the Call Me By Your Name star his career rules have been “No hard drugs and no superhero movies.” It’s exciting to imagine where these two actors will be years for now, but for now we get to experience a wonderful moment in both their careers.
Florence Pugh will next be seen as part of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer cast, the movie heading to theaters July 21, but fans will be able to see her reunited with Timothée Chalamet when Dune: Part Two arrives on November 3.
