Dune 2 Actor Is "Heartbroken" His Scene Was Cut

Dune: Part Two is in theaters now, and some people are wondering why veteran actor Tim Blake Nelson--who was announced as being in the cast--is not in the film. His scene was cut, director Denis Villenueve has confirmed, and there is little chance it will ever see the light of day.

Nelson told MovieWeb that he was upset that his scene was cut for time, but it didn't sour his experience working on the movie. What Nelson's role in the film might have been remains a mystery.

"I don't think I'm at liberty to say what the scene was. I'd leave that to Denis [Villeneuve] if he wants to talk about it. I had a great time over there shooting it," he said. "And then he had to cut it because he thought the movie was too long. And I am heartbroken over that, but there's no hard feelings. I loved it, and I can't wait to do something else with him and we certainly plan to do that."

Additionally, Stephen McKinley Henderson played Thufir Hawat in 2021's Dune, and many expected to see him return in the sequel. Villenueve told Entertainment Weekly that it was "one of the most painful choices" to not include the character in the follow-up.

"One of the most painful choices for me on this one was Thufir Hawat," Villeneuve said. "He's a character I absolutely love, but I decided right at the beginning that I was making a Bene Gesserit adaptation. That meant that Mentats are not as present as they should be, but it's the nature of the adaptation."

Do not expect to see any of Dune: Part Two's deleted scenes, however, as Villenueve told Collider that it's too painful to revisit scenes he had to cut for time.

"Sometimes I remove shots and I say, 'I cannot believe I'm cutting this out.' I feel like a samurai opening my gut. It's painful, so I cannot go back after that and create a Frankenstein and try to reanimate things that I killed," he said. "It's too painful. When it's dead, it's dead, and it's dead for a reason. But yes, it is a painful project, but it is my job. The movie prevails. I'm very, I think, severe in the editing room. I'm not thinking about my ego, I'm thinking about the movie."

Dune: Part Two earned more than $178 million worldwide after its first weekend. For more, check out GameSpot's Dune: Part Two review.