Dune's Stellan Skarsgård Had One Requirement For His Baron Harkonnen Prosthetics

One of the central villains in Frank Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune" is the amoral hedonist Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, ruler of House Harkonnen and overseer of spice production on the planet Arrakis. In the novel, he is described as being so immensely fat that he required a suit of anti-gravity devices — called suspensors — to hoist his massive girth. The Baron is cruel, power-mad, and regularly has sex slaves sent to his quarters so that he may engage in sick acts of murderous coitus. Some have criticized the Baron as an example of fatphobia and, rather unfortunately, "queer villainy" in popular media. 

In David Lynch's 1984 film adaptation of "Dune," the Baron was played by Kenneth McMillan, and Lynch made him all the more revolting by encrusting his face with oily carbuncles that produced shot glasses of black pus. McMillan was outfitted with a fat suit, although he was decidedly trimmer than in Herbert's vision. In Denis Villeneuve's 2021 film adaptation, the Baron was played by Stellan Skarsgård, and Villeneuve transformed him into a steelier, more quietly sadistic (and straight) character. This version of the Baron was completely hairless, and regularly took baths in black oil. 

To play Baron Harkonnen, Skarsgård was outfitted with a massive flesh suit that, according to the actor, took anywhere between six and eight hours to get into, and weighed about 110 pounds (50 kg). The eight-hour days involved the Baron's nude scenes; the scenes wherein the Baron was clothed took less time. 

In March of 2024, Skarsgård talked to GQ and revealed more details about the suit, and about a specific request he made regarding its design. Notably, he wanted as little makeup on his face as possible, allowing him to emote better.

Stellan Skarsgård had some experience with extensive prosthetic makeup from his time working on 2006's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and the follow-up, 2007's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." In those films, he played a cursed pirate who had half-merged with ocean creatures, sporting barnacles, mussels, and starfish on his face. That, Skarsgård said, was a restrictive way to act. He relies on his face as his instrument, and if the makeup doesn't allow him to move his face and eyes, then he can't do his job. 

That experience taught him a lesson, and led to his special request when it came to playing Baron Harkonnen in "Dune." Specifically, Skarsgård said: 

"The first [thing] I say whenever I'm having a lot of prosthetics — [it's what I said] also in 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' where I had a whole bouillabaisse [on my] face — is keep it thin around the eyes, and keep it thin around the mouth. Because I have nothing else to express myself with. And they're very good at that." 

Skarsgård also noted that the "Pirates" makeup was so elaborate that the makeup artists used something akin to superglue to stick it to his face. The fumes from the adhesive, he said, were overwhelming. It "was almost fatal to breathe in, so I had to breathe through a pipe," he said. Luckily, Baron Harkonnen was easier. "There were not many barnacles and oysters and things on my face" in the "Dune" movies, he said.

Of course, playing Baron Harkonnen had its own physical restrictions, mainly because the suit was so damn heavy. All of Skarsgård's movements were slow and deliberate because he was always lifting several pounds of latex. But, the actor said, his fake body informed his performance. To quote:

"You have this enormous body, and it hurts, and it's painful — to a certain extent it's a hindrance. And it would be — unless you use it for your benefit. Because it also makes you move slower. And more dangerous."

What's more, wearing the suit on certain sets really put Skarsgård in the right mindset. In "Dune: Part Two," there is a scene wherein the Baron is wheeled out into a massive, angular arena on his home planet of Giedi Prime, and the Baron's subjects all cheer and laud and pump their fists at the sight of him. Skarsgård admits that being on a high pedestal receiving praise, even simulated on a film set, made him understand history's dictators a little bit better. He said:

"I had the tower with my seat in, and it's a very fascistic aesthetic behind it. What you feel is that ... F***, yeah, I understood Mussolini. This fascistic kind of decor makes you feel greater, makes you feel bigger, makes you feel stronger. And it did." 

Baron Harkonnen met a definite fate at the end of "Dune: Part Two," but fans of Herbert's novels know that it was not the end of his story. It's likely that Skarsgård will return for any additional "Dune" movies Denis Villeneuve might want to make.