‘Civil War’ Star Kirsten Dunst On Her Turn As A War Correspondent: “It Was Terrifying To Be A Part Of ”

deadline.com:

Last spring, when Alex Garland’s Civil War premiered, the evocative images of a country irreparably divided felt like a cautionary, if still somewhat distant, tale.

When Deadline spoke to Kirsten Dunst, who plays war photographer Lee Smith, two weeks before the 2024 election, the film appeared to have acquired an additional layer of horror. “It’s terrifying,” says Dunst. “We made this movie three years ago, when the war in Ukraine had just started.

But to set this in America was very thought-provoking and haunting.” We spoke to Dunst about immersing herself in the country’s worst-case scenario, and why, ultimately, she ran towards the challenge.  DEADLINE: When you were reading the script the first time, what were your thoughts about it? KIRSTEN DUNST: I knew was going to do something provoking, but reading it, I was on the edge of my seat.

I didn’t even feel like I was reading a script. It felt like I was holding my breath the entire time. And then, to actually start filming it, the way Alex shoots is very realistic and almost like a play.