EMILY WATSON AND OLIVIA WILLIAMS TALK ABOUT REAL-LIFE SISTERHOOD IN 'DUNE: PROPHECY'

BRITISH STARS EMILY WATSON AND OLIVIA WILLIAMS have joined forces in Max's "Dune: Prophecy," the prequel series to the blockbuster "Dune" movies with deeper themes of women in power and the influence they're capable of wielding.

- By NATHALIE M. TOMADA

Set over 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, a messianic figure in the Known Universe, "Prophecy" centers on the early times of the Bene Gesserit, a secretive sisterhood whose political, genetic and mystical powers would eventually give rise to Paul.

Now streaming on Max, the show's story begins with the Harkonnen sisters - Valya (Emily) and her younger sibling Tula (Olivia) - acting as leaders of Bene Gesserit, wherein the former exhausts ways to get one of their "sisters" become the Empress of the Known Universe.

As "Dune" fans would know, the Harkonnens are the primary villains in the movies. So through "Dune: Prophecy," it would be intriguing to find out what roles these sisters have in shaping the legacy and future of the House Harkonnen.

The STAR recently had a virtual interview with the esteemed actresses and what fun it was talking to them. They said they never expected two "women in their 50s" leading the charge of a highly anticipated show.

Avoiding spoilers, they teased about the "charm" of their characters. Olivia quipped, "I think my character has a conscience, so that's what makes her, I think, slightly more forgivable. But she still does terrible things, even if she feels bad about it."

As for Emily, she said, "I think Valya has that sense of a charismatic leader who knows how to recruit people. Because she had a charismatic leader tell her when she was young and vulnerable, 'You're very special and you're very powerful,' and she believed it. And it's a dangerous thing to do.

"And that's how she brings people into the sisterhood - people who have secrets and who have things that they need protecting. It's a great recruiting tool."

When asked about any personal touches that they incorporated into their characters, Olivia mused, "When Tula's really angry, there's a muscle that goes off in her cheek. I've been told by my husband and children that that is a moment when, you know, to be scared."