Denis Villeneuve’s Perfectionist Tendencies Were No Match for One ‘Dune: Part Two’ Scene

We’re a week out from the theatrical release of Dune: Part Two, and things are certainly looking up for Denis Villeneuve’s sequel; early reviews have been through the roof to the point where that popcorn bucket has almost been entirely forgiven and forgotten for the time being.

But the real-world Dune: Part Two-centric forgiveness doesn’t end there, as the storied filmmaker apparently found himself at the mercy of his perfectionist streak when he elected to leave a filming mistake in the final cut of the movie—mercy that was ultimately granted by way of a powerful revelation.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, Villeneuve riffed on the mistake in question—namely a scene in which Florence Pugh (portraying the character Princess Irulan) improperly puts on a headdress—and why he chose to leave it in the film, quite profoundly pointing out that life is much stronger than perfection.

“Part of me tried to do it perfect. But life is stronger and I prefer that. I’m moved by what you’re saying because it’s something that challenges me. Sometimes I know that the camera movement is not absolutely perfect, but there’s something in the performance that breaks my heart. F*ck it. I will choose that take because it feels more powerful.”

Indeed, leave it to Florence Pugh to turn in a performance so incredible that it manages to win over the one and only Denis Villeneuve’s desire to make everything perfect, all in the face of an onscreen wardrobe malfunction. But, like the filmmaker eventually realized, even the highest highs of the human experience have no room for perfection, so why not honor that in the art we create when the situation calls for it?

Dune: Part Two lands into cinemas on March 1, where the rest of the world will finally find out if those Lord of the Rings comparisons were justified.

(featured image: Warner Bros. Pictures)