IN CONVERSATION WITH CHRIS MASON
interview by JANA LETONJA
British actor Chris Mason will star as one of the leads in HBO’s highly anticipated series ‘Dune: Prophecy’, premiering on 17th November. Chris has previously starred on ‘Riverdale’, ‘Broadchurch’ and ‘Dirty John’
coat AMIRI
top, trousers, gloves, and shoes VERSACE
You’ll be starring in the highly anticipated ‘Dune: Prophecy’. Tell us more about your character, Kieran Atreides, and his role in the story.
Kieran Atreides is the sword master to the royal house Carrino. He doesn’t have the power of the Atreides that we see in the films, but his name still holds some weight. It was fun bringing to life a new Atreides story that is on a journey of his own.
‘Dune: Prophecy’ takes place 10.000 years before the original ‘Dune’ story. How does this prequel connect to the world that fans know, and what can they expect from the show?
I think the existing fans can look forward to the ‘Dune’ universe they know being expanded. New planets, new characters and origin stories of famed organizations. Also, for new viewers who are not familiar with the ‘Dune’ franchise, we are starting from scratch, so they will be able to follow along right from the start of our show.
Kieran Atreides is described as a sword master to the royal family. What was it like preparing for such a physical role, and did you undergo any special training for the combat scenes?
I was lucky to get around a month of training before having to shoot anything. That entailed going into stunt training every day and working on our fight sequences as much as possible. I owe a lot to the stunt team, Kai, Lee and Adam, for their patience with me, and also my fight partner Sarah-Sofie. We trained together a lot and built a real trust and understanding with each other. Overall, I had so much fun with it and it is something I can’t wait to do again.
What aspects of Kieran’s personality or story might remind fans of the Atreides they know from ‘Dune’, and how is he different?
He’s very different as there is so much time between the characters. Yet some things might remind them of future Atreides, particularly in the fighting style, his fierce loyalty and believing in doing the right thing for the greater good.
‘Dune’ has an enormous and dedicated fanbase. Were you a fan of the books or previous adaptations before joining ‘Dune: Prophecy’, and how does a role in such a rich, complex universe impact your career?
I had recently seen ‘Dune: Part One’ before landing the job and was a huge fan, so I was aware of the scale of the ‘Dune’ universe. But once I had booked the job, the hard work started and I dove into the books. I’m not sure how it impacts my career other than I want to do my best with the fantastic material we were given.
‘Dune: Prophecy’ has some epic scenes. What were some of the most challenging or memorable scenes you filmed?
Every fight scene I did was memorable because so much work goes into it prior to shooting and that really builds excitement. Also, any scenes where there is a big group is always fun because it’s not often you get to be on set with every actor, so you cherish those moments when storylines cross.
coat AMIRI
top, trousers, gloves, and shoes VERSACE
Audiences may recognize you from roles in ‘Riverdale’, ‘Broadchurch’, and ‘Dirty John’. How did these experiences shape you as an actor and prepare you for a role of this scale in ‘Dune: Prophecy’?
I think every job you have teaches you something, whether that’s about yourself as a performer or understanding productions and the nuances of each network. I had never been involved with anything as grand as ‘Dune: Prophecy’ before, but I have had the privilege of working with some astounding actors who can teach you so much just by watching them be brilliant. I think what I took into ‘Dune: Prophecy’ the most was that even though it is this epic and grand sci-fi, the characters are so well written and are grounded in humanity, that my job was to portray the absolute truth for Kieran.
Looking ahead, are there any dream roles or genres you’d like to explore that you haven’t yet had a chance to dive into?
I have always loved comedy and had a brief stand-up comedy career back in Liverpool. I would love the chance to work on a comedy in the future or even write my own.
Outside of acting, what are you most passionate about in life?
Writing is my main passion away from acting. I love it because it’s a different form of storytelling than acting and comes with a whole new set of challenges. Also football. My team is Everton and I have followed them as long as I can remember. That is my escapism on the weekend.
What can you share with us about your upcoming projects, after ‘Dune: Prophecy’?
I am about to start shooting an action thriller called ‘The Last Story of David Allen’. It is an exciting script that harks back to the great action movies of the 90s and early 2000s.
TEAM CREDITS:
photographer SELA SHILON
styling NICO AMARCA
grooming JENNA NELSON
