She found fame when she was still a child, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst is happy for her work to be a family affair.
Since playing a young vampire opposite Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, the actress has portrayed characters ranging from SpiderMan’s girlfriend to Marie Antoinette, earning four Golden Globe nominations and a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame along the way.
In her latest role – a photojournalist in the newly released Civil War – Kirsten shares the screen with her real-life husband, Breaking Bad Fargo and star Jesse Plemons.
“I loved it. We both love to work together. We’re soulmates at home and at work,” says the actress, who turns 42 at the end of this month.
The couple married in 2022 following the birth of their two young sons, and Kirsten wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Ennis and James – six and three respectively in May – following in their parents’ footsteps.
“I wouldn’t be opposed because it’s like a family business,” she says. “I don’t think it has to be a negative thing, but am I going throw my kid into acting? No.”
DIRECTOR DRIVEN
Kirsten met Jesse, 36, in 2015 when they played husband and wife in the crime drama TV series Fargo,, and she has recalled how after bumping into him at the airport to fly to Calgary where it was filmed as an “immediate soul connection.”
But their latest on-screen pairing is hardly romantic. In fact, she has called one intense scene, which includes Jesse’s character pointing a gun at her, “one of the craziest things I have ever seen”.
Civil War, , from writer-director Alex Garland, whose previous work includes the Oscar-nominated Ex Machina and 1996 novel The Beach, is set in a dystopian future and follows the journey of a group of journalists crossing the US in a race against time to reach the White House before rebel factions descend.
Kirsten says she jumped at the chance to play the lead. “The first thing was Alex Garland – I am a massive fan, so to work with him as director was a dream for me. I would have done any project he offered me. But this was like nothing I had ever seen before.
“I’m very director-driven. You could have me in a room with a chicken if you’re a good director and I’d be fine with that,” she adds with a laugh. “With Alex, I felt very trusted and respected. It felt as though all of us on the cast and crew were a team.
