Kirsten Dunst (New Jersey, 1982) has been in the film industry since she was a child. Her name began to be heard when, at age 11, she rubbed shoulders with Tom Cruise and kissed Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire. She has been from Sofia Coppola's muse in The Virgin Suicides and Marie Antoinette to the Mary Jane of the Spider-Man universe directed by Sam Raimi. Directed by the controversial Lars von Trier in Melancholy, she won the best actress award at the Cannes Festival in 2011 and three years ago she was nominated for an Oscar as supporting actress for the western The Power of the Dog, by Jane Campion. Now there will be a lot to talk about as Lee Miller, a photojournalist who, together with three colleagues, embarks on a hellish journey to portray a United States mired in a bloody civil war in Civil War, the new dystopian thriller by British director Alex Garland. that invites you to reflect on politics, society and the role of the press today. The film hits Spanish theaters next Friday, April 19 after making an impact at the South by Southwest festival.
Why did you want to participate in this project?
I have been a total fan of Alex Garland since I saw Ex-Machina and I love his scripts. At no point did I think I would be able to work with him, but he chose me for the role of Lee. So when I received the script I was shocked because he has done something that I had never read before and as an actress I want to be part of groundbreaking and risky stories that make viewers ask themselves questions and discuss what they have seen.
How did you prepare to become this woman who has seen too much horror plying her trade?
As soon as I accepted the proposal I picked up a camera and never took it off except to sleep. Knowing how to handle it and take photos like a professional was a great responsibility and I wanted to do it as best as possible. We did many rehearsals, we watched several documentaries and war correspondent Marie Colvin's 'Under the Wire' was the one that impacted me the most. That's why Lee looks a lot like her.
What was your impression when you saw the film for the first time?
The truth is that I was very impressed by Alex's choice of music and editing, because it was very different from what was in the script. Visually the film is very striking because it portrays an internal war in the United States, which already went through a civil war more than 150 years ago as a result of a controversy over slavery. But in the film the reason that generates the conflict is not known. The polarization that is happening in my country, where there is democracy, is scary. And the media feeds on that and the people feed on that. For this reason Civil War is a very necessary film, because although it describes a divided and bloody country, as happens in other places in the world, it is anti-war.
Because it says?
It does not glamorize war. And it's very intense to watch because it seems like you're really integrated into what happens to those journalists and those soldiers. For me, it is filmed in a very realistic way. And the sound of the explosions is really shocking.
In the film the leading role falls on a press of which we see both the supportive and selfish sides. What is your opinion of the role that journalism plays in our society?
Journalism is very important. It teaches us the truth of what is happening today. But then it is up to the media to show one photo or another and the truth is altered in response to a purpose. I think we live in a time where we don't know where the truth is in the news and that's a disheartening thing. The truth is that I don't usually read the news much. Everything has become increasingly sensational and it seems that only clickbait matters, which makes things even more polarized and people are afraid to speak out.
This year there are presidential elections in the United States. Do you think the film can be seen as a warning or to what extent is what it shows crazy?
In the US we have a democracy. We vote. I wish we had different candidates! It is true that we live in terrifying times. In the movie the president serves a third term, which is not realistic.... I think a lot of things would have to change for something like this to actually happen. I think that Civil War is a cautionary tale that teaches us what happens when people no longer communicate with each other and stop seeing each other as human beings.
Watching the film gives the feeling that a point has reached where as human beings we seem to enjoy our own destruction.
The problem is that heteropatriarchy is ruining everything.
Her character carries a great emotional burden behind her and changes when she meets Jessie, a young photographer who admires her and aspires to be like her. What was her relationship with Cailee like on filming?
In the film we see images of war that Lee has immortalized in the past and that now come to mind. She is a woman who has seen a lot of pain and who has put on a shell. But there comes a point where she is disenchanted with her job. When she meets Jessie and saves her she begins to open her heart. We see that she has a sensitive side to her. Sammy (the veteran New York Times journalist played by Stephen Henderson) has been a mentor to Lee, and Wagner Moura, as Joel, is like a brother to her. The relationship he establishes with Jessie is progressive. He tries to help her, even though at first she is not happy that such a young girl is joining them. Cailee and I had a great relationship. She is a great actress.
She shares a very tough scene with her husband Jesse Plemmons, who plays a trigger-happy soldier. Was it easy for you to let go of the intensity that a shoot like this demanded?
It was the craziest scene I've ever seen. Jesse did us a favor by playing this role of a disturbing guy because he didn't feel like playing someone like that at all. Filming that scene was very emotionally tense for everyone. And the truth is that after filming, with so many sequences of shooting, combat and car chases, I suffered post-traumatic stress. Luckily, it was only two weeks.
