'Every scene was beautiful to play': Tabu on 'Dune: Prophecy'
Bollywood actor, Tabu, has entered the Dune universe with a bang. The 53-year-old actor has a pivotal role in the prequel series Dune: Prophecy. She plays Sister Francesca in the last two episodes, based on Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's Sisterhood of Dune. The story takes place 10,000 years before Dune and follows two Harkonnen sisters fighting forces endangering humanity's future while laying the foundation for the Bene Gesserit order. Now, Tabu has finally opened up about her role.
Tabu's journey to 'Dune: Prophecy' and character insights
Tabu told Variety, "I just got an email one day from my agents and my managers telling me that Alison [Schapker] and Anna [Foerster] were the showrunners and the directors on the show wanted to cast me for this particular role." After reading two scenes from the script, she joined a Zoom meeting where the creative team explained her character's role in the last two episodes. "I just loved the character...I knew that this was my world."
'I was working with people who I never met before...'
The series was shot in Budapest, making it several firsts for Tabu as it was her first time working with a completely new team in an unknown city. "I think it's the first time ever in my career, or at least in the past 20 years or so, that I was working with people who I never met before, who have never worked with before, [in] a place that I've never been to before," Tabu said.
Tabu's character spans 2 time periods in 'Dune: Prophecy'
In Dune: Prophecy, Tabu's character Sister Francesca lives in two timelines. The younger version of the character is played by Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran. "Allison, Anna and everyone of the crew were very particular about her meeting me so that she could imbibe something," Tabu said about Chandran. She added their meeting was beneficial as they were playing the same person and it helped make the transition between their portrayals more believable.
Tabu's experience and future projects in Bollywood
Tabu found many things about her role irresistible. She said, "Every scene of mine was beautiful to play. I had beautiful lines to say. My interaction with the Emperor [Mark Strong] was something that I'll cherish, also with Constantine [Josh Heuston], my son." She also loved her character's unique look and the women-dominated production environment. In Bollywood, Tabu had a 2024 hit with female-led caper comedy Crew and will star in filmmaker Priyadarshan's horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla next year.
