Following the release of Dune: Part Two last year, fans have eagerly discussed the way the film compares and deviates from Frank Herbert’s original novel. Among the changes include making one key character a source of comedic elements within the film. 

Javier Bardem played Stilgar in both Dune and Dune: Part Two. Stilgar was the leader of the Fremen tribe that allied itself with Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides to take back Arrakis from the vile Harkonnens. 

Alongside Chalamet and Bardem, Dune: Part Two also featured Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, and Dave Bautista. 

Many fans noted that Stilgar was somewhat of a comic lifeline within the story, a slight deviation from the more serious character portrayed in the book. Screenrant even reported that director Denis Villeneuve weighed in on exactly why he took the character in that specific direction. 

Villeneuve expressed to TheWrap that he wanted audiences specifically to foster an attachment to Stilgar. He continued by explaining why humor was the tool he used to forge that connection between the character and the audience. 

“In order to increase the empathy for this character, one way is humor, feeling that he has a candor that brings liberty,” he said.

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