Although the focus of viewers in 'Dune: Part Three' is on Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, hundreds of crew members work behind the scenes to bring the world of Arrakis to life. Among them is Emirati acrobat Mohammed F Mustafa, who joined this blockbuster during a 31-day shoot in the Liwa desert in Abu Dhabi.
Mohammed F Mustafa shared with Khaleej Times, which met with him on July 9th at VOX Cinemas on Al Maria Island, his impressions of how he got the role, his experience working with director Denis Villeneuve, and the responsibility of representing the UAE in international production.
He recounted that he learned about the role offer from stunt coordinator Najmeddin Scorpion, who headed the UAE stunt team for 'Dune: Part Three'. Mustafa noted that when he received the call about the project, he immediately sensed it would be something big, and he was thrilled to learn it was 'Dune.'
For Mohammed, this opportunity marked another step in his growing international career, which already includes participation in the Apple TV+ project 'Hijack' alongside Idris Elba, as well as several Netflix productions. He expressed hope that his story will inspire other talents from the UAE, demonstrating that they do not need to go abroad to achieve such goals, as they can succeed at home.
The 35-year-old Mohammed explained that his interest in acting began long before Hollywood sets. His brother Ali Mustafa is a film director, and as children, they made home movies such as 'Baby Batman' and 'Baby Bond', performing stunts even before they realized what they were doing. Although he later pursued football, acting became an inevitable calling for him.
In addition to acting, Mohammed founded MFM Media in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Creative Media Department. The goal of this venture is to attract more international productions to the emirate to create more consistent production opportunities for local talent.
Describing his work on one of the biggest Hollywood projects, Mohammed stated that the atmosphere on set matched what viewers see on screen. He emphasized that the energy created by a director like Denis lifts the spirits of everyone present, noting his perfectionism and involvement with every team member.
Despite his experience, 'Dune: Part Three' presented unexpected challenges. Mohammed explained that cinema, especially stunts, requires high agility. One of the biggest challenges for him was the necessity of using his weaker arm during one of the scenes. He called it a privilege to represent UAE talent in such a large-scale production but also admitted that it pushed him beyond his limits.
