Zendaya’s Dune Wardrobe Woes Sound as Harsh as Arrakis

Zendaya is one of Hollywood’s most fashionable stars of the moment—if there’s a red carpet, she’s going to be wearing something distinctive and drop-dead gorgeous. But in a new interview, the star of Dune: Part Two confessed the elaborate costume she wore to portray Arrakis-dwelling Fremen warrior Chani presented physical challenges far beyond towering heels or haute couture suits of armor.

Speaking to W Magazine (via Variety), Zendaya explained that despite being in excellent shape after filming tennis drama Challengers, she still wasn’t quite prepared for Dune: Part Two‘s “heavy and restrictive” wardrobe situation. From the sound of it, nobody would be.

While filming in Jordan, she said, “It was very hot, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh, man, the bathrooms are so far away,’ because we had to hike to the locations. If you have to pee, you need at least 10 minutes to get out of the costumes.”

With that in mind, she said, “I was like, ‘Damn, I don’t want to drink too much water.’ I had such a fear of peeing myself or shitting myself, honestly, in the suit on set. One day, I didn’t drink enough and I had a heatstroke. I felt so barfy. I remember calling my mom on the bathroom floor, saying, ‘I feel terrible.’ She was like, ‘Did you drink water today?’ I said no. I thought I was being smart, but you can’t do that. So, lesson learned.”

Not for nothing, Zendaya’s remarks might remind you of another critically acclaimed sci-fi blockbuster with restrictive costumes: The Shape of Water. When it came out in 2018, Doug Jones said he had to “take care of bowels in advance of pulling that suit. Because when I’m in the suit, it’ll be for a good 16, 17 hours a day. So you have to make sure that you’re not going to have a little accident. And that is my biggest fear in this world is that they’re going to pull the suit off me one day and be disgusted by the aroma.”

Hey, The Shape of Water went on to win Best Picture. Maybe that’s a good omen for Dune: Part Two?

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