The cast for Denis Villeneuve‘s upcoming adaptation of Dune grows in number and attractiveness by the minute, making each new announcement an exciting event for fans of the Frank Herbert novel. But none are as excited as the cast themselves, including Javier Bardem, who spoke of his admiration for Villeneuve and the rest of the impressive cast of Dune, as well as his love for sandworms.

In an interview with CinemaBlend, the Mother! actor spoke of his casting as Stilgar, a leader in the Fremen tribe who takes Timothee Chalamet’s Paul under his wing. Though the Herbert’s sci-fi epic has proven notoriously difficult to bring to the big screen, Bardem made it clear that he had no reservations about joining Villeneuve’s film:

“Are you kidding? How much do I have to pay? It’s one of those blessings that you have in this amazing, blessed life that I happen to have: having a job that I love, and make a living with, and also work with people that I truly admire and respect, and I’m getting inspired by it. It’s a lot.”

After seeing all the casting news but hearing very little from the actors involved themselves, it’s refreshing to hear Bardem express so much joy at being part of a project that is steadily becoming one of the most anticipated films of the next few years. While Villeneuve’s Dune has to follow up David Lynch’s ill-fated 1984 film, that seems like it’s no skin of Bardem’s back. Lynch’s Dune has gone down in movie history as an embarrassing failure for the Oscar-nominated director. But not so for Bardem, who is apparently one of the few who absolutely loves the 1984 Dune:

“I read the first three books, and, of course, I saw David Lynch’s film. I’m going to be turning 50 on March 1st, so I saw David Lynch’s film, which I loved. I remember the day I saw it in 1984, I think, and it was weird! And I loved it! It was big and weird, and those sandworms!”

Did you hear that Villeneuve? Let Bardem touch those sandworms.

Dune is set to debut in theaters on November 20, 2020.