Zendaya Suffered a Proper Heatstroke on the Set of ‘Dune: Part Two’

Zendaya experienced a scary moment while filming Dune: Part Two in Jordan. The remote desert location made it difficult to access basic facilities like bathrooms. She explained that reaching a restroom was a ‘hike,’ often taking at least 10 minutes due to the costumes. To avoid the inconvenience, she decided not to drink much water.

This decision backfired. She recalled feeling sick from heatstroke after not staying hydrated. Speaking with W Magazine, Zendaya admitted, ‘I thought I was being smart, but you can’t do that.’ After calling her mom while feeling ill, she realized she needed to drink more water on set.

As she recounted in the interview after discussing how she failed to master tennis for Challengers, Zendaya was in Jordan when the heatstroke incident happened:

And then you began filming Dune: Part Two; that must have been quite the transition.

What was so great is I had been training with the boys on Challengers every day and was in the best shape that I had been in a really long time. For Dune, the costumes were very heavy and restrictive. The first few weeks, your body’s quite sore. When I was walking through the sand every day, my butt looked great. So that worked out! I was prepared.

What country were you in?

We were in Jordan. 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. 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.

Source: W Magazine

The sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s 2021 adaptation of Dune brings Frank Herbert’s story to life again. Villeneuve’s version has already been a massive success, with the first film winning six Oscars and the two movies grossing over $1.1 billion worldwide.

Beyond the films, the Dune universe has expanded with the prequel series Dune: Prophecy, which aired on Sundays on HBO and streaming on Max. Villeneuve also confirmed to Deadline that plans for a third installment, based on Dune Messiah, are underway, with filming expected to start in 2025 or 2026.

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