Fans of Hallmark will know Alicia Witt from holiday movies like “A Very Merry Mix-Up” (2013), “The Mistletoe Inn” (2017) and “Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane” (2018), not to mention “Our Christmas Love Song” (2019) and “Christmas Tree Lane” (2020). Beyond that, she’s appeared on shows like “Cybill” and “Two and a Half Men,” and in films like “Mr. Holland’s Opus” (1995) and “Two Weeks Notice” (2002) — just to bring up a few of the many roles she’s tackled over the years.
However, were you aware of the fact that she’s been acting since she was just a child? Indeed, you might not have known that she actually had a major role in an epic movie when she was just 7 years old!
Alicia Played Alia in 1984’s ‘Dune’
Witt took to Instagram on Thursday, April 23, to share a look at herself when she was just a little one.
In the slideshow, you can see her at various ages throughout her childhood. One photo sees her during a concert with text that reads: “This is who started playing piano at 7 years old.”
Another image shows her in an adorable purple dress and says, “This is who loves to garden.”
A passport pic that’s beyond cute was also included, with the star writing, “This is who loves writing music.”
That’s not to mention the shot of her as a baby wearing diapers and striking a pose while smiling at the camera, along with the text, saying, “This is who loves acting and discovering new characters.”
In the caption of the post, she wrote, “Thinking back to what it was like when we were Younger 😉 #younger #aliciawittmusic #dune #youngeryou #davidlynch”
The hashtags give away the fact that the first photo in the slideshow shows the star as a young actress on the set of a production. The texts tells her followers, “This is who starred in Dune.”
That’s right, back in the ’80s, a young Witt scored the role of Alia, the younger sister of Paul, the Atreides heir, who’s played by Kyle MacLachlan.
While Witt’s followers loved the photos, plenty were also surprised to find out that she was the little girl in 1984’s “Dune.”
“Adorable then, adorable now 🥰,” one person wrote.
Another fan added, “Born with talent 🙌🙌🙌”
“[It] never even struck me that was you in Dune,” a third follower wrote.
Witt paired the post with her song, “Younger,” which prompted another person to leave a comment, saying, “One of my favorite songs by you and [an] endearing slide show.”
Alicia Says ‘Dune’ Changed Her Life
In February 2024, Witt opened up about being in “Dune” in a now-deleted Instagram post (via People). She wrote, “i was 7 when i was cast by david lynch in 1983, and turned 8 just as i was finishing my 3 months [of filming] in mexico city. an experience that changed my life in every way a life can be changed. ✨”
In July of 2024, she talked to People about the film, saying, “Being on that set of Dune was all about the community that I found and getting to channel the character, feeling her come into me and come out through my mouth and my voice and my body.”
“That was my first experience in the magic of playing characters,” she added. “And I knew from the moment I set foot on the set that I wanted to do that for the rest of my life — God willing.”
