How do you get into the headspace of a cruel villain, particularly one who is the chief architect of many, many, many deaths? That's the question actor Stellan Skarsgård was posed with upon taking on the role of Baron Harkonnen in director Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of sci-fi author Frank Herbert's beloved novel Dune. And it's something he was faced with again in this year's sequel Dune: Part Two, where he returns as the antagonist.
This time round the Baron is even more desperate to cling onto his power and the planet Arrakis, as Timothée Chalamet's Paul Atreides seeks revenge alongside the Fremen. Thankfully for Skarsgård though he enjoys playing bad guys, admitting in an interview with GamesRadar+ that in fact it's "very easy to play". He explained: "You're not showing any redeeming qualities in the Baron, you don't have time for that. You just want people to hate him! The worst is very easy to play as you just don’t show empathy, love, or any warmth. And then, you end up with a psychopath. But also a lot of the sets are built and not CGI, so you feel it. The fascistic architecture of Baron Harkonnen’s sets, it goes through everybody, but it’s especially there. You feel empowered by it."
