According to the Dune: Prophecy actors, the Bene Gesserit footwear is one piece
Onstage at New York Comic Con, actress Jessica Barden shared a little behind-the-scenes secret of Dune: Prophecy which she feared audiences would not see on screen. “The footwear was Nike Airs,” Barden laughed. “My first day on set they gave me these shoes and I thought, Whoa, the Dune space guests are wearing Nike Airs shoes.”
But not all Bene Gesserit shoes are created equal. Both Chloe Lea (who plays Sister Lila) and Jade Anouka (Sister Theodosia) were definitely not so comfortable in their shoes.
“We were in the most uncomfortable shoes,” Lea said during a press round prior to the premiere. ‘Flat, rock hard at the bottom. (…) Maybe Jess should wear Nikes, and I’m a little jealous of that.
You could attribute it to different needs for different eras of Bene Gesserit. Barden plays the young Valya Harkonnen, when she was in her early days with the Sisterhood. Sisters Lila and Theodosia appear some thirty years later, when the Sisterhood is more built up and led by Mother Superior Valya Harkonnen.
“Maybe they had different shoes thirty years ago. But when we were there, they were actually black pieces of cardboard,” Anouka said. “(But) cardboard with beautifully intricate designs on it!”
It’s not like the Bene Gesserit ever claimed to be an egalitarian wonderland. Look no further than the highest ranks: both Emily Watson and Olivia Williams (who play the older versions of Mother Superior Valya and Reverend Mother Tula Harkonnen, respectively) emphasize that they Great shoes on set. “They’re like orthopedic trainers disguised as Bene Gesserit shoes,” Watson said.
Williams took it a step further and credited Watson with having them – Oofos, if you must know – incorporated into the costumes for Valya and Tula, something she jokes she should get a cut of the company for promoting. “We were looking forward to being in our shoes.”
It’s a bit of art reflecting life: One of Williams’ favorite moments on set was learning the prana bindu next to the younger girls. As she remembers: “There’s a moment where it’s chaos, and a bit like watching a bad production A chorus lineand then there is a moment when you all move as one; a beautiful, kind of unconscious energy in the room when we started moving as a cast,” Williams recalls. “And then: the absolute admiration when our characters were allowed to stand and watch as they had to do it while being pelted by rain, wind and hailstones.
“So it was probably a moment that united them. And we watched.”
For Anouka, at least, the edict was clear, understood and ultimately quite funny: “Sisterhood above all else. You don’t need arches.”
Dune: Prophecy premieres on Sunday, November 17 at 9pm EST.