I Want What They Have: Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons

February 9, 2022

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Love is a many-splendored thing, especially when you’re gawking at it from the outside. In this column, we’ll be examining the celebrity couples that give us hope for our own romantic futures and trying to learn what we can from their well-documented bonds.

The details of famous peoples’ partnerships generally inspire envy in me, whether they’re prosaic (“We never go to bed angry at each other!”) or luxe (“We have his-and-hers matching private jets and a fleet of aestheticians on call to give us couples massages!”). But when I heard that coupled-up actors Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons had been nominated for matching Oscars this year, I didn’t feel my usual chill of romantic jealousy. Instead, I felt...joy? Can anyone explain?

The reason for my joy may be simple: I have been a massive fan of Kirsten Dunst’s since Drop Dead Gorgeous, and all I want is to see her thrive, both professionally and personally. In fact, the only thing I possibly want more is to see Jesse Plemons thrive, as I have adored him since Friday Night Lights (even though he was an extremely sad simp for most of that show). Dunst and Plemons have been engaged since 2017 and share two children, Ennis and James; now they’ve joined the elite ranks of Brangelina by being nominated for Oscars in the same year, and I simply love that for both of them.

I really had no idea how Dunst and Plemons met, barring some sort of run-in at a Hot and Famous Blonde People’s convention, so I googled it and learned they first encountered one another on the set of Fargo. In 2019, Plemons reflected on their connection when Dunst received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Aside from the brilliant actor you are, I have also had the even greater pleasure of getting to know you as a person outside of work—Kiki or Keeks. Seeing the kind of mother and wife, daughter, sister, friend, and cohort you are is why I and all of your friends and everyone else are here today and why we all love you.” Is it dusty in here?

For her part, Dunst has dived into wedding planning, saying on Live With Kelly and Ryan in 2017, “I never thought I would be that person who had a Pinterest board.” Really? Because I can totally see her Pinterest-ing her wedding, but I digress. I don’t know when these two will actually tie the knot, but what if they went off and staged a surprise pop-up wedding for the night of the Oscars? That would definitely get me to tune in. Hooray for normal-seeming and in-love people being honored at the same time!