Kirsten Dunst couldn't be prouder of her husband Jesse Plemons, after working together on Alex Garland's Civil War.
Plemons plays a small antagonist role in Garland's dystopian action movie, and a terrifying one at that. Dunst, who's been in a relationship with Plemons since the two met on Fargo season 2, explained how it felt to act with her partner again in an exclusive chat with Digital Spy.
"Because he's my husband, it's not terrifying to me!" she said of Plemons' soldier.
"I was, on that day, I felt very much proud of how incredible he was. So that's how I felt, but I have a different seat in the room of that scene," she continued.
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The film follows a group of journalists during a second American Civil War, with the protagonists racing to reach the White House before enemy factions.
"When we first saw that set, it was very horrific, just the way it all looked and everything," Dunst explained.
"Even in the script, that scene was the shift in the film, where things start to kick into high gear."
The cast for the film also includes Priscilla's Cailee Spaeny and Narcos' Wagner Moura as well as Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno and Nick Offerman, among others.
Dunst and Spaeny "immediately" forged a friendship on set, with the Marie Antoinette star sharing she feels like a big sister to Spaeny.
"It felt that way, but in a very natural way. We really loved each other immediately," Dunst said.
"She reminded me of how I was and the way she acts, the way we acted together, we're very similar in the way we like to approach acting. And so that relationship… She'll be my friend, forever. Yeah, I definitely see her as a little sister."
Related: Fargo star reacts to heartbreaking season 5 finale death
Both actors play journalists in Garland's movie, with the filmmaker highlighting the pivotal role of free press and how he intended to depict reporters "as heroes" in his latest project.
"Journalist work is important, has always been important. It's important in a pre-post-truth reality or in a post-post-truth reality," the Annihilation director said.
"The thing about a free press is that it's not a luxury, it's a necessity. You really have a very serious problem in any state if there isn't a free press.
"And I think the press have been under attack for a long time, in various ways they have been under attack, and there is a price we will pay for that.
"There is a price we are already paying for it, and then the question is how serious does that price get. So I think partly just wanted to show journalists as heroes because we need them."
Civil War is released in cinemas on April 12.
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Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
Deputy Movies Editor, Digital Spy
Mireia (she/her) has been working as a movie and TV journalist for over seven years, mostly for the Spanish magazine Fotogramas.
Her work has been published in other outlets such as Esquire and Elle in Spain, and WeLoveCinema in the UK.
She is also a published author, having written the essay Biblioteca Studio Ghibli: Nicky, la aprendiz de bruja about Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service.
During her years as a freelance journalist and film critic, Mireia has covered festivals around the world, and has interviewed high-profile talents such as Kristen Stewart, Ryan Gosling, Jake Gyllenhaal and many more. She's also taken part in juries such as the FIPRESCI jury at Venice Film Festival and the short film jury at Kingston International Film Festival in London.
Now based in the UK, Mireia joined Digital Spy in June 2023 as Deputy Movies Editor.
