Kyle MacLachlan reveals ‘nightmare stuff’ behind ‘Dune’

Kyle MacLachlan’s Dune shoot left him “nearly 15 lbs” lighter

Kyle made his acting debut in the 1984’s iconic film, Dune as Paul Atreides and now, in his newly released memoir Fictional Selves, the actor opened up about the physical difficulties he faced during shoot.

“The physical conditions wreak havoc with just about everyone. If I have to go to the bathroom, especially if I get hit with the stomach issues rampant on set, I am in trouble. The plumbing on the sound stages is . . . let’s call it grim,” the Hollywood star wrote in his memoir.

Noting, “When you feel it coming on, you have to hail down a golf cart and speed back to the dressing room building, hopefully in time.”

“Otherwise, you do battle with the toilet near the stages, where the smell is awful, flies have taken over, and the floor is littered with used scraps of newspaper,” the veteran actor added further.

Kyle said that on-set situations were “nightmare stuff,” and he frequently experienced, “the friendly neighborhood stomach bug.”

“I will lose nearly 15 lbs. in total during the seven-month shoot,” Kyle revealed.

He also noted that everyone on set was dealing with similar issues, “all dealing with the same thing,” and some even had “actual injuries.”

“Every morning, we find out someone new is down for the day. It just becomes part of life on set,” Kyle recalled.

But eventually he came to understand that “success depends on how fully I let go, give in, and adapt” so he immersed himself in the “community” and gained “confidence.”