Indian cinema star Tabu plays a pivotal role in the “Dune” universe in Max‘s prequel series “Dune: Prophecy,” appearing as Sister Francesca in the final two episodes.
Inspired by “Sisterhood of Dune” by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the series is set 10,000 years before the events of “Dune” and follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces threatening humankind’s future while establishing what will become the Bene Gesserit order.
Alison Schapker serves as showrunner and executive producer, with Diane Ademu-John co-developing the series and serving as executive producer. Anna Foerster executive produced and directed multiple episodes.
The role came to Tabu – whose international credits include Mira Nair’s “The Namesake” (2006) and “A Suitable Boy” (2020) and Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” (2012) – through a straightforward process.
“I just got an email one day from my agents and my managers telling me that Alison and Anna were the showrunners and the directors on the show wanted to cast me for this particular role,” Tabu tells Variety. After reviewing two scenes from the script, she participated in a Zoom meeting the following day where the creative team detailed her character’s involvement in the final two episodes. “I just loved the character and the potential of this character. I knew that this is my world, and this I would enjoy doing.”
Shot in Budapest, the project represented several firsts for the actor. “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 says.
The character of Sister Francesca exists in two time periods, with Charithra Chandran (“Bridgerton”) playing the younger version. “Allison, Anna and everyone of the crew were very particular about her meeting me so that she could imbibe something,” Tabu says. “You never know what comes out of it, that meeting where you feed off each other because you are playing the same person.”
“It was really nice to have that meeting, and because she’s also familiar with my work, and because she is originally born to an Indian family, she has that kind of introduction. So it was not difficult. And I think the transition feels believable,” she adds.
For Tabu, building the character came with specific considerations. “I was conscious of the world that Francesca belongs to. I wanted her to feel like she belongs to the world of the Bene Gesserit, but because she has such a strong personality and strong story of her own, which is not connected to the others and the other characters, it was interesting to straddle both these things,” Tabu says.
The actor found several aspects of the role compelling. “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,” Tabu says. “It’s a very, very strong premise for me to build a character on, but also, the interesting part was because it was a romantic association that I was supposed to have with the Emperor. It gave this character its own space and its own potency to explore.”
“Also wearing that costume, wearing that veil, just being different and looking different from how I have looked – I have never had this. It is such a distinct look,” she adds.
Tabu as Sister Francesca in “Dune: Prophecy”
Warner Bros. Discovery
The production environment, led by women in key creative positions, left a strong impression on Tabu. “You felt like these are women of substance, who know what they’re doing, who’ve done so much work, whose body of work is huge, and you could just rely on their understanding of what they were doing. You felt protected, you felt taken care of,” Tabu says.
Tabu also brought a taste of her homeland to set. “I was getting Indian food on set and feeding Josh and everyone. I had this restaurant in Budapest – they would send me lunch, dinner, everything to set. And we would sit outside our trailers, and eat,” Tabu says. “And apart from that… I got myself and when I come, India comes, and my home comes, and my work in India comes with me. So it’s the whole package.”
In Bollywood, Tabu enjoyed a hit in 2024 with female-led caper comedy “Crew” and looking ahead she is set to star in filmmaker Priyadarshan’s horror-comedy “Bhooth Bangla,” which begins production next year. Her previous outing in the genre, “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2,” was one of the biggest Bollywood hits of 2022.