Stephen McKinley Henderson fully understands why his Thufir Hawat wasn’t seen on the big screen.
Even with Dune: Part Two‘s expansive run time, director Denis Villeneuve wasn’t able to get all of the characters into the adventure that audiences were expecting, which includes Stephen McKinley Henderson’s Thufir Hawat being excised from the sequel’s theatrical cut. The actor confirmed that he spent time on set with Christopher Walken and Austin Butler, which ties into what his character’s trajectory was in Frank Herbert’s original Dune novel, so those experiences themselves were fulfilling in their own right, as he also knew Villeneuve had his work cut out for him constructing the sequel. Dune: Part Two is in theaters now.
“I shot stuff for them and had a great time with Denis and Austin Butler,” Henderson confirmed to Entertainment Weekly. “I got to have a nice lunch with Christopher Walken. It was a great thing to be a part of, and I understand it comes with the territory. Denis had to do the film that he had to do. So I just love being a part of it. No regrets.”
In the original story, Hawat survives the deadly attack by the Harkonnens on House Atreides and is forced to serve House Harkonnen. Unlike other sprawling spectacles, fans shouldn’t expect to see an extended director’s cut of either Dune, with Villeneuve previously expressing why he has no interest in offering up those cuts on home video releases.
“I’m a strong believer that when it’s not in the movie, it’s dead. I kill darlings, and it’s painful for me,” Villeneuve shared with Collider earlier this year. “Sometimes I remove shots and I say, ‘I cannot believe I’m cutting this out.’ I feel like a samurai opening my gut. It’s painful, so I cannot go back after that and create a Frankenstein and try to reanimate things that I killed. It’s too painful. When it’s dead, it’s dead, and it’s dead for a reason. But yes, it is a painful project, but it is my job. The movie prevails. I’m very, I think, severe in the editing room. I’m not thinking about my ego, I’m thinking about the movie.”
What will hopefully bring Henderson some solace is the fact that he wasn’t the only actor ultimately cut from the film, as Tim Blake Nelson’s role was also cut from the final product.
“I don’t think I’m at liberty to say what the scene was. I’d leave that to Denis if he wants to talk about it,” Nelson detailed to MovieWeb about his time on the project. “I had a great time over there shooting it. And then he had to cut it because he thought the movie was too long. And I am heartbroken over that, but there’s no hard feelings. I loved it, and I can’t wait to do something else with him and we certainly plan to do that.”
Dune: Part Two will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
The big-screen epic Dune: Part Two includes Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Léa Seydoux, with Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Denis Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Frank Herbert’s iconic novel.
Dune: Part Two is in theaters now.
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