When it came time to introduce Apple TV+ viewers to irascible MI5 agent Jackson Lamb, Oscar-winner Gary Oldman came up with the idea to open the streamer’s “Slow Horses” series with a fart. Lamb’s flatulence signaled his absolute disdain for decorum and dignity right from the offset, and viewers immediately knew what they were in for. What does any of that have to do with “Dune”? Well, for those interested in the storied history of flatulence in Hollywood, you might also be intrigued by an even more practical use of one’s intestinal gas — a non-diegetic fart, if you will.
Take Josh Brolin, who plays the War Master of House Atreides Gurney Halleck in “Dune” and its sequel. According to Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Brolin took it upon himself to wait until he and the actor were sitting in one of the practical ornithopters built for “Dune” to let loose. As Duncan-Brewster told The Hollywood Reporter, the scene in question involved her, Brolin, Oscar Isaac, and Timothée Chalamet’s characters venturing into the Arrakis plains to retrieve a stranded spice-harvesting crew. “These are the big boys and girls of Hollywood […] This was also the one scene that stuck in my head as, ‘You’ve got to get this right, Sharon,'” the actor explained.
You can understand that being surrounded by some of the biggest names in Hollywood might have felt more than a little intimidating. Luckily, Brolin’s expert use of gas made things a little easier on Duncan-Brewster:
“My man Josh Brolin tended to fart a lot when we were in the ornithopter. So I don’t know if that had to do with motion or with diet, but that’s one of the things that would always pluck a laugh from me.”
