‘Dune: Prophecy’ interview: Faoileann Cunningham gets the allure of the Sisterhood and the Harkonnen

We’re officially getting a second season of Dune: Prophecy, meaning it’s just the beginning for the group of women who will go on to form the Bene Gesserit. Even though the Sisterhood isn’t entirely good, star Faoileann Cunningham still gets the appeal.

In Dune: Prophecy, the Sisterhood is kind of like that one sorority on your college campus—you know, the really exclusive one that only meets at night, coordinates their outfits, and performs strange hazing rituals that leave you asking huh? And yet, you’re still kind of jealous of them. Meanwhile, the Sisterhood in Dune might not have any monetary dues, but there’s still a debt to be paid, as members like the enigmatic Sister Jen (Cunningham) have to sacrifice their moral compasses to survive in this cut-throat environment. So yeah, not exactly Kappa Delta.

These women’s values—and everything they’ve ever known, really—are put to the test as they train to become Reverend Mothers and/or Truthsayers. But as we’ve seen in the more recent episodes of Dune: Prophecy, Jen has grown increasingly weary of the Sisterhood, as she begins to notice the mountain of lies and deception corrupting the order. Her friendship with Lila (Chloe Lea), in particular, opens her eyes to the hypocrisy rampant within the Sisterhood. As a fan, however, Cunningham can still admit that beneath it all, the Sisterhood—and House Harkonnen, specifically—are kind of badass.

Faoileann Cunningham can’t get enough of the Sisterhood & the Harkonnen in Dune

Speaking with The Mary Sue, Cunningham shared her favorite part of the Dune franchise, and it may not be what you’d expect. Morally gray characters are the heart of Dune and make the saga all the more intriguing. So even though they’re arguably more evil than good, Cunningham admitted that the Harkonnens caught her interest in the movies, as opposed to House Atreides or otherwise. In Dune: Prophecy, this is translated to sisters Valya (Emily Watson) and Tula (Olivia Williams) Harkonnen, who do a lot of heavy lifting in the story.

“I was excited for Valya and Tula to live in the [Dune: Prophecy] world. I read those characters and I was like, ‘Oh my god, they’re amazing.’ They’re just such exciting characters, and I think, I don’t know about you, but I just love a spinoff because you kind of can forget about everything. Obviously, I think like, gosh, people who are really into—for me, the Harkonnen are my favorite part of the movies. I think they’re just … that appeals to me so much. So I think that’s why my sisters appeal to me.”

In terms of what drew her to the project, Cunningham explained that she’d “never seen anything” like the Bene Gesserit before, and that, in her eyes, the Sisterhood is “a combination of every badass female character,” making for a religious order that’s as mystical as it is fearsome.

“I remember being like, obviously, we’ve seen nuns or whatever, but there’s just something that is the combination of every badass female character you’ve ever seen that somehow, underneath a veil, is like 10 times more scary and mystical. I remember watching that and thinking, gosh, like literally before I ever knew this existed being like, ‘Oh, I want to know more about them, more and more and more.’ So with this, it’s a really appealing level because it’s not like superheroes, right? Where it’s fantastical and you kind of engage with that in a very specific way. This is that kind of like body, soul, minds.”

Unlike a lot of the sci-fi genre, Cunningham is spot-on in her assessment that the Sisterhood—and the Dune saga overall—is more concerned with the “mind-body connection” rather than a showy display of power, à la the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As noted by Cunningham, the Bene Gesserits’ true power comes from learning how to master their “psychological systems” through meditation (a.k.a. prana-bindu) and mindfulness. This is exactly what makes Dune: Prophecy and the Sisterhood so alluring; they’re quietly dangerous, move in the shadows, and are extremely, extremely powerful.

For now, I’m curious to see where Dune: Prophecy will leave Jen’s story when the season 1 finale airs on HBO and Max this Sunday, December 22, and if we can expect to see more of her in season 2.