Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Dune: Prophecy episode 4!Evgeny Harkonnen (Mark Addy) met his demise under Valya’s uncaring gaze inDune: Prophecyepisode 4, leaving his great-nephew Harrow (Edward Davis) to clean up the latest mess that the family finds itself in. Valya’s best-laid plans to regain Emperor Javicco Corrino’s favor through Harrow at the Landsraad were destroyed when Desmond Hart turned the tables and murdered “traitors” to the throne. But while she is temporarily stymied, the Mother Superior seems to have a few tricks left up her sleeve.
Dune: Prophecyboasts a stellar cast, led by Emily Watson and Olivia Williams as the sisters (and Sisters) Valya and Tula Harkonnen. In addition to the main characters, the guest stars have been equally exciting — including Addy, who playedRobert Baratheon inGame of Thrones, andSanditon’s Davis. Both of them shine opposite Watson in the scenes at the Harkonnen apartment, which lay the groundwork for the image audiences have of Baron Vladimir and his terrifying family from Villeneuve’s movies.
All 6 Houses & Factions In Dune: Prophecy Explained
Dune: Prophecy includes many Houses and factions from the source material, some that link heavily to Denis Villeneuve’s two Dune movies.
ScreenRantinterviewed Addy and Davis about theshocking events ofDune: Prophecyepisode 4and their effects on House Harkonnen. Addy explained the root cause of Evgeny’s hatred for his niece Valya, while Davis teased how Harrow would react to Desmond’s power play at the Landsraad. Perhaps most fascinatingly, Addy also hinted that he feels Tula is the true mastermind of the family.
Mark Addy & Edward Davis Break Down Their Feelings About Valya Harkonnen
“When she turns up again, we’re back to where we were when she left.”
ScreenRant: Harrow and Evgeny have very different reactions to seeing Valya again. Mark, can you share Evgeny’s perspective on what Valya has done to House Harkonnen and why he is so cold towards her?
Mark Addy: I think we see, in flashbacks to a lovely domestic Harkonnen dinner, the fact that Evgeny blames Valya for the death of Griffin. He was our golden boy; the guy who was going to lead House Harkonnen into a wonderful future — and the blame is squarely on her shoulders as far as he’s concerned.
Tula gets away scot-free, you’ll notice. She’s equally culpable, one could say, but she’s very low-profile because of the way she operates. Valya is the one who’s willing to speak her mind and who is a strident hothead. She’s changed over 30 years and become more Tula-like as she goes on, but those 30 years have not dulled his seething bitterness at what he feels she is responsible for. So, when she turns up again, we’re back to where we were when she left.
ScreenRant: Harrow seems quite open to listening, on the other hand. Does he share Valya’s ambitions, and what would he like to see happen to House Harkonnen?
Edward Davis: I think he’s aware of Evgeny’s blindness on this subject. I think he spent a lot of his life in the Harkonnen apartment being told by Evgeny that Valya is not to be trusted and did this terrible thing.
But Harrow is, by nature, more of a diplomat. Even if these things are true or if she’s not to be trusted, he’s willing to play the game and play cards with her, as it were. Also, she starts offering things that Evgeny’s never been able to give Harrow quite quickly. I think that’s mainly where his willingness to listen comes from, because his ambition overrides everything. I think he just didn’t believe it possible that he could have the status that Valya is willing to give him.
ScreenRant: I feel like with your portrayal of Evgeny, we’re starting to inch toward the vision we have of the Harkonnens from the Villeneuve movies. Were you channeling some Stellan Skarsgård in your performance, Mark? What was your approach to playing him?
Mark Addy: It’s nice having the knowledge of where your family line goes over 10,000 years. We were trying to sow the seeds of Harkonnen-ess. That’s a new word. There are elements of the Harkonnen that we are more familiar with, but this is the genesis of that, and we need to feel where they started out. That dark streak was there all those years ago, and it’s increased and grown. They still had hair back then — not a lot of it — but that gradually phased itself out.
But it was interesting playing a character from all those years before the more familiar version of the Harkonnens arrived, and I was trying to remain true to the core of what they are and what fuels them.
Where House Harkonnen Stands After The Events Of Dune: Prophecy Episode 4
“[Harrow] ends up being further down the Snakes and Ladders game than he was at the beginning.”
ScreenRant: Edward, the Landsraad inquest literally blows up in your face and then the head of your house is taken out. We don’t really get to see Harrow’s reaction to any of that, but what can you tease about where that leaves him? Does that make him more afraid of Valya or more interested in using her powers?
Edward Davis: Yeah, by the end of episode 4, he ends up being further down the Snakes and Ladders game than he was at the beginning because he’s taken this gamble. And I think audiences will be surprised by how he responds to that. I kind of want to leave it on that, but I think everything that Harrow does from now on is going to be surprising.
ScreenRant: Mark,Dune: Prophecyhas garnered some comparison toGame of Thronesalready. Who do you feel has more regrets at the end of their life, Robert Baratheon or Evgeny Harkonnen?
Mark Addy: Ooh, blimey. They’re almost two sides of the same coin. They’re the yin and the yang. I think Robert probably had more regrets, because Evgeny just felt hatred towards Valya. That was his overriding emotion, I think, by the end.
They both died inglorious deaths, and they both deserved it, to be fair.
ScreenRant:Desmond Hart shows how powerfulhe is at the Landsraad. Was that something that Harrow was expecting, and how is that going to play into his plans?
Edward Davis: I don’t think he’s really come across Desmond properly yet, so it’s a terrible surprise. Lots of the characters in this show are from military backgrounds, so they’re used to conflict and used to death as well. But I think Harrow, although he hasn’t led a jolly life, has led a sheltered life. To suddenly witness the melting of three or four people at the hands of some crazy magician who looks like a soldier is utterly stunning, and I don’t think he really comes back from that.
But he does find courage in it, I think, because he sees to what lengths people will go to get what they want.
ScreenRant: Finally, for both of you, what do you think are the elements or aspects that best define a Harkonnen?
Edward Davis: I’d say selfishness and ambition. There is a sort of twisted family loyalty, but it doesn’t override the self. It is almost like the question of sisters or Sisterhood above all. Is it House Harkonnen, or is it me as a Harkonnen above all? There’s a constant debate there, I think.
Mark Addy: Yeah, I’d agree. They’ve been struggling to regain lost influence, and I think that carries on for quite a long time now. The family members are dealing with it in different ways, and Valya is certainly going about it a different way from Harrow or Evgeny. But it’s also about the family because the family name is important.
More About Dune: Prophecy Season 1
From the expansive universe of Dune, created by acclaimed author Frank Herbert, and 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, DUNE: PROPHECY follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. DUNE: PROPHECY is inspired by the novel SISTERHOOD OF DUNE, written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
