Kirsten Dunst on “The Power of the Dog” and her approach to acting

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Kirsten Dunst remembers shooting a particularly poignant scene from her latest film “The Power of the Dog.” In it, she and her real-life partner, Jesse Plemons, play two deeply lonely people who’ve finally found a connection in 1920s Montana.

Dunst told correspondent Luke Burbank, “Do you wanna know the truth? I felt like, ‘Oh my God, this feels so corny right now. To be this, like, proper and, I made you these sandwiches,’ like, I felt a little silly, to be honest.”

Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons in “The Power of the Dog.” Netflix

But Dunst had complete faith in director Jane Campion, so she went along: “I’m very director-driven, so I would have done anything for Jane. She could have talked about this grey couch, and I would have done the movie – and played the green pillow!”

“That’s your next project – I read about it in Variety,” Burbank quipped.

“I really would have done anything for Jane,” she said.

That faith seems well-placed, as “The Power of The Dog” – and Dunst’s performance particular – are getting rave reviews and even rumors of Oscar consideration.

To watch a trailer for “The Power of the Dog,” click on the video player below:

For Dunst, now 39, an Academy Award nomination would be the latest step in a life spent in front of the camera, starting at age three in New Jersey, when her mother would drive her into New York City for modeling gigs. But it was her role at age 11 as Claudia in “Interview With a Vampire,” opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, that really put her on the map..

Dunst said, “I mean, even kids in my school who had never acted before were auditioning. And it was a worldwide search, you know? So, that was a really – I knew that it would be, yeah, like, a life-changing thing.”

Her star was rising, fast, with roles in classics like “Little Women”; indies like “The Virgin Suicides”; hits like “Bring It On”; and blockbusters like the “Spider-Man” franchise:

Dunst said, “It’s interesting. I always felt, like, this nice safety net going back to ‘Spider-Man’ – I did not realize how on-the-nose [that was]! Almost like a safety web or whatever. I always liked that I got to go back to this, like, to this home base of working with these people again.”

And yet, amidst all the outward success, something inside Dunst just didn’t feel right, and at age 27 she checked herself into a Utah rehab facility for treatment for depression.

“I just really was very much more a people-pleaser, you know?” she said. “Growing up in that industry, you’re wanting to do good for the director, wanting to do good for the other actors – like, there’s a lot of pleasing. And I think that that starts to affect someone unconsciously or whatever, and can hit you over the head. This is something that I think is just, like, part of being a human being, you know?”

Burbank asked, “Did you consider walking away from acting at that point?”

“I just knew however I approached acting, it had to change. So, there was a more cathartic way of entering into a role, as opposed to performative. I was, like, freed basically to try anything and not feel fearful at all.”

That’s on display in “The Power of the Dog.” When her character, Rose Gordon, develops a drinking problem, Dunst resorted to an unusual acting technique: “I would come out of the house a lot in distress in this film. And so yeah, spinning around in circles is a very helpful trick. Closing your eyes and spinning around in circles, like, rolling … and then ‘Action,’ I’d just kinda stumble out of the house!” she laughed.

WEB EXTRA: Kirsten Dunst shares an acting trick:

The final product seems to have paid off, with one reviewer saying, “Few actors have played drunks as convincingly or sympathetically.”

The fact that the project also let her work with partner and fellow costar Jesse Plemons was also a plus. The couple has lived in Austin, Texas, during much of the pandemic, raising their two small boys.

Burbank asked, “Is it just because of less paparazzi attention?”

“No, it’s everything,” she replied. “People care less because it’s not a movie town. They are better with children, the parks are nicer. In general, I’ve had a more fun time living here.”

Kirsten Dunst with correspondent Luke Burbank. CBS News

After a life spent making movies, Dunst understands just how unique this moment is for her:

“It’s like, it has to be a good movie, and you have to give a good performance, and you don’t wanna be the weakest link. And like, it’s like, so many things! And then, everyone has to like it, and then it has to be the buzzy one. And it’s a rare thing that this happens.”

But if the Oscars don’t come calling?

“Listen, if it ended tomorrow, I’d figure something else out,” Dunst said. “I love my life separately. It’s not like all of my confidence and everything is wrapped up in this industry. Like, I think finding Jesse and having children, it gives you stability. And it gives you, when you find your person, like, a way that just grounds your life.

“So, it feels like a time that, like, I can really, really soak things in and appreciate them and feel good about them.”

For more info:

Story produced by Sara Kugel. Editor: Mike Levine.

See also:

Kirsten Dunst on performing in ‘The Power of the Dog’

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Screen Actors Guild Award nominee Kirsten Dunst plays a mom in distress in the new Netflix film “The Power of the Dog,” which was written and directed by Jane Campion.

On “The LA Times Envelope Roundtable” on Spectrum News 1, Dunst opens up to host Amy Kaufman about acting alongside her husband, actor Jesse Plemons, who plays her husband in the film.

“I love working with Jesse. He’s my favorite to work with,” said Dunst. “We fell in love creatively first. And so we plan to do something together, maybe every, I don’t know, like five years or something.”

The roundtable also features actors Penélope Cruz, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Hudson, Kristen Stewart and Tessa Thompson. Click the arrow above to see Dunst discuss the film.

What the Heck Is Going on in the Oscars’ Supporting-Actor Category?

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With the Golden Globe winners and SAG Award nominations announced this past week, the race for the supporting-actor Oscar has cemented a front-runner—and a whole lot of uncertainty beyond him. Ahead, David Canfield and Rebecca Ford identify the few they can safely say will be recognized by the Academy, and the many others with a shot to fill out the field.

David Canfield: If you weren’t clear on whether the Screen Actors Guild’s nominating committee chose chaos, Rebecca, then its supporting-actor picks should be enough to convince you. The group left conventional wisdom at the ballot box, lifting the hopes of a few bubble contenders while humbling a few candidates trying to ride their front-running films to their first-ever Oscar noms. But one clear throughline is emerging, at least, as to who might be the man to beat: Between dominating critics’ wins and getting recognized by all the major precursors so far, The Power of the Dog’s Kodi Smit-McPhee is top dog. (Sorry.) So before we get into the mess beyond him, do you agree? And who’s emerging as a potential challenger?

Rebecca Ford: Yes, I totally agree with you on Smit-McPhee, David. Just like his character in the film, he’s really showing up strong and sort of out of nowhere. I have to say I love that Wednesday’s SAG Awards nominations were chaotic because I think we’re all craving a little bit of drama in this season—after all, the events where we usually get such drama are non-existent for at least the next month. Anyway, I would have answered your question completely differently two days ago, but it’s true that SAG has very much shaken up this category. I do think Troy Kotsur from CODA may now be Smit-McPhee’s biggest competition. He won the Gotham award, and earned Critics Choice and SAG Awards nominations. And CODA clearly has some renewed momentum behind it, also earning an ensemble SAG nom too. Who else do you think has increased momentum in this category based on the most recents news?

Canfield: CODA is gaining momentum fast, and to your point, other than Smit-McPhee, Kotsur is the only actor to have landed nominations consistently across SAG, the Critics Choice, the Golden Globes, and the BAFTA longlist. So at minimum he feels like our other lock for a nomination. I’m also pretty surprised to say I like the chances of Licorice Pizza’s Bradley Cooper; transparently, upon seeing the movie, while I greatly enjoyed his performance I just didn’t think he had the screen time. Getting a SAG nomination for the Paul Thomas Anderson film, which is a big overall contender (the Academy’s acting noms always lean toward strong best-pic players, relative to SAG), is no small thing. Since the category is more shapeless than ever, I’d bet on him making the final five. And who knows, maybe he can keep surprising and Judi Dench his way to an upset.

SAG’s list was rounded out by Jared Leto for House of Gucci and Ben Affleck for The Tender Bar; the former also showed up with Critics Choice, and the latter with the Globes. But both are still very vulnerable in my eyes. With Leto, it depends on how much of a force you see House of Gucci being. Actors clearly like it, but as we’ve seen with past SAG nominees like Da 5 Bloods and The Big Sick, that doesn’t always mean a ton. Leto’s performance is polarizing, if memorable, and if Gucci isn’t landing with the Academy outside of best-actress lock Lady Gaga, he needs to work hard to maintain momentum. Affleck, meanwhile, is on even more of an island; he’d likely be the only nominee for a small, poorly reviewed movie in The Tender Bar. Despite hitting a few key precursors, he could meet a similar fate to his current partner, Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers’ lone torch-carrier who couldn’t cross the Academy finish line. (Affleck also missed BAFTA’s 15-man longlist, which does not bode well.)

But then again, these guys beat out stiff competition for the SAG five! Rebecca, what is your read on their chances, and who might overtake them? Surely Belfast gets someone in here?

Jason Katims on ‘As We See it’ and ‘Friday Night Lights’ legacy

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Creator Jason Katims is best-known for “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood.”

But he said his latest drama series, “As We See It,” is personal. It’s based on the 2018 Israeli series “On the Spectrum.”

“I have a son who is on the spectrum,” Katims, 61, told The Post. “A few years ago, before I started thinking about this show, he was becoming a young adult – the age of these characters in this show. And I was thinking a lot about his story and his future. You open up the Autism Speaks website, and you see a picture of a beautiful little boy. Those kids grow up. So, for a very personal reason, I was thinking about this subject matter. Then I saw the Israeli show.”

“As We See It,” premiering Jan. 21 on Amazon, follows Jack (Rick Glassman), Harrison (Albert Rutecki), and Violet (Sue Ann Pien), twentysomething roommates on the autism spectrum, as they strive to keep jobs, date, navigate the world and make friends – with help from Violet’s brother, Van (Chris Pang), Jack’s dad, Lou (Joe Mantegna) and their aide, Mandy (Sosie Bacon).

Jack (Rick Glassman, left), Violet (Sue Ann Pien, center) and Harrison (Albert Rutecki, right) are three roommates on the autism spectrum navigating life in their twenties. Ali Goldstein/Amazon Prime Video

Computer whiz Jack struggles to be polite when he feels that other people aren’t up to his level of intelligence, which causes problems in the publishing house where he works. Harrison, who is addicted to TV, struggles to leave the apartment, overwhelmed with stimuli when he steps outside. Violet’s intense desire to date leads to some ill-fated flirting in the fast food spot where she works, and her older brother restricts her access to dating apps on her phone.

Violet (Sue Ann Pien) wants to date on “As We See It” but her brother doesn’t want her accessing dating apps on her phone. Ali Goldstein/Amazon Prime Video

None of the characters are directly based on Katims’ 23-year-old son, Sawyer, he said.

“One of the things that has helped me to write the show is that it’s not autobiographical. So, I don’t have to worry about, ‘Can I tell that story, should I not, it’s not mine to tell?’ I don’t have to worry about my son’s privacy or anybody else’s,” he said. “I am of course drawing from my experience and the people I know on the spectrum – not just my son. It’s been a long time now that I’ve been close to this subject matter.”

Roommates Violet (Sue Ann Pien), Jack (Rick Glassman) and Harrison (Albert Rutecki) share drinks on “As We See It.” Ali Goldstein/Amazon Prime Video

His son has not watched “As We See it” yet, he said.

“The funny thing about my son – he doesn’t like watching my shows. Sawyer is the biggest football fan in the world, and I can’t get him to watch ‘Friday Night Lights.’ He’s like, ‘I can watch real football.’ So I will try to get him to watch [‘As We See It’], and we’ll see what happens.”

Jason Katims won a Emmy in 2011 for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for “Friday Night Lights.” /Invision/AP

Speaking of “Friday Night Lights,” which ran on NBC from 2006-2011, Katims said that it’s difficult for him to reflect on it from a distance.

Jeremy Sumpter as J.D. McCoy, Michael B. Jordan as Vince Howard (center), Jesse Plemons as Landry Clarke (right) on “Friday Night Lights.” Bill Records/NBC

“To me, ‘Friday Night Lights,’ was such a seminal part of my career and my life. I know a lot of time has gone by now, but it doesn’t feel that way to me,” he said. “Those characters feel so close to my heart that I don’t really look at it with the perspective that maybe I should be looking at it with, because it doesn’t feel that far away from me.

“On the other hand, I’m reminded of the time that’s passed when I put on my TV and I see Jesse Plemons and Connie [Britton] and Michael B. Jordan and Kyle [Chandler]. When I see these people whose careers have just exploded in this amazing way, it gives me such joy to see their journeys since ‘Friday Night Lights.’

“I feel very proud that I had the opportunity to work with them on a show that I know was as meaningful to them as it was to me.”

Tales from the Awards Circuit: Highlights of a Return to Live Events

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In the past year, thanks to vaccines and an abundance of caution, in-person events began to resume throughout the season. It began with Emmy FYC panels, usually filled to around 20% of their normal capacity and held outdoors. But as the year went on, it was starting to seem as if premieres, screenings and events were back in full swing.

Of course, it would be foolish to predict how long this could last — due to a major surge in COVID cases, many premieres and junkets have gone virtual while events including the Academy’s Governors Awards and the Critics Choice Awards have pushed their dates to a yet-to-be-determined time.

Still, the past few months provided many fun opportunities for several of Variety’s editors; here, they pick a few of their favorite moments.

Clayton Davis, Awards Editor

Aunjanue Ellis Feels the Love for Her Performance in ‘King Richard’

A Thursday afternoon at the Directors Guild of America Theater for a SAG NomCom screening of “King Richard.” Stars Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis were in attendance for a post-screening Q&A. When they walked out to the center stage, the crowd was already roaring with delight in reaction to the film. Ellis was called out to the stage first, where people leaped from their seats before she got to the center for a standing ovation that lasted about a minute. The veteran actor who plays Brandi, Venus and Serena Williams’ mother turned to me, with people still standing, overcome with glee and humility. Finally, she said, “Can you please tell them to sit down?” I looked over at the crowd, still cheering, and said to her, “Ain’t no way I can stop them. They love you too much.”

‘The Power of the Dog’ Cast Gives Jesse Plemons Horse-Riding Props

On a Sunday evening in Novem-ber, Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” cast assembled at the Pacific Design Center for a post-screening Q&A. Stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons were on stage to discuss their extraordinary works. Plemons had been shooting his upcoming film with Oscar- winner Martin Scorsese during most of the festival and press days, and it was the first time we had seen the four together after the pic’s Venice bow. Plemons wasted no time charming the audience, talking about a troublesome horse on set but getting major kudos from his co-stars as the best horse rider from the film.

Dakota Johnson’s Tribute at Middleburg

Actor Dakota Johnson was one of the honorees at the Middleburg Film Festival in Virginia in October. After her career retrospective discussing previous works and her performance in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” a pony casually strolled by. “Oh, it’s a horse,” she pointed out. I joked that she’d been given a horse as part of her tribute, which brought a big smile to her face. Not sure if such a majestic creature would count as a carry-on item.

Oscar Isaac Plays Pranks on Denis Villeneuve

Oscar Isaac had a fantastic year with Paul Schrader’s “The Card Counter” and HBO’s “Scenes From a Marriage,” but he got many of his fans excited by being nearly naked in a scene in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune.” On the Warner Bros. lot, in front of the members of the SAG community, Isaac talked about the pranks he and Villeneuve would play on one another, which included placing a garment traditionally used to hide male nudity it in his jacket pocket for him to find later. We have to find a way for him return for “Part 2.”

Marc Malkin, Senior Editor, Culture and Events

I Am Grover

When I’ve been talking too much over a short amount of time, my voice tends to get scratchy. On more than one occasion, videos of my red carpet interviews posted on Twitter have inspired observers to ask if I’m a Muppet. I’ve been called Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch. But things were taken to whole other level in September when I interviewed Colin Hanks at the premiere of “American Crime Story: Impeachment.” Due to COVID social-distancing protocols, I wasn’t on camera because celebs answered my questions into a mic on a stationary stand 6 feet away from me. When Variety’s social-media editors posted footage of me asking Hanks about his brother Chet’s controversial anti-vax comments, Twitter users began to question if I was … Grover! The video went viral — it’s currently at more than 2.5 million views. One enterprising Twitter user, @doejobkin, even spliced video of Grover interviewing Hanks but used my voice. My response to all this Muppet merriment? #IamGrover.

Gucci Love Parade Runway on Hollywood Blvd.

When Hollywood Boulevard is shut down between North Orange Drive and Vine it’s usually for a premiere or, more famously, for the Oscars. Traffic is stopped both ways for a couple of days leading up to the event, causing commuter headaches and warnings from the local news to avoid the area. But on Nov. 2, the streets were cleared for something entirely different. Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele transformed Hollywood Boulevard into the Gucci Love Parade runway to show the fashion house’s spring-summer 2022 collection. Models — including celebs Jared Leto, Phoebe Bridgers, Macaulay Culkin, Jodie Turner-Smith, Jeremy Pope, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Miranda July and St. Vincent — streamed out of the TCL Chinese Theatre for about 30 minutes in front of the sidewalk as guests, including Miley Cyrus, Lizzo, Diane Keaton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Dakota Johnson, Serena Williams and Billie Eilish, ogled the looks from directors chairs lined up against storefronts. The open-air festivities felt like an old-school block party — only things missing were a Bounce House and hot dogs on the grill.

Sending Leo to Space

I woke up on Monday, Nov. 8, to a text from an old colleague at E! News.

“Hey, is that your Jeff Bezos video?” she wrote. “We want to make sure we credit you if it is.”

I didn’t immediately know what she was talking about.

“Huh?” I replied.

“The one with Leonardo DiCaprio and Lauren Sanchez,” she wrote.

I did a quick Google and then I definitely knew what she was talking about.

Just two nights before, I had taken some video of DiCaprio, Bezos and Sanchez talking at LACMA’s Art + Film. I posted a six-second clip on Twitter with the caption, “Do we think Leo is going into space?”

What I didn’t realize that Monday morning was that the video had gone around the world and then some. Twitter was having a field day opining on how Sanchez was interacting with DiCaprio in front of her boyfriend.

My video even got Bezos’ attention. “Leo, come over here, I want to show you something…” he tweeted to DiCaprio alongside of photo of himself leaning shirtless against a sign in a forest

that reads, “Danger! Steep Cliff Fatal Drop.”

“Yup,” I wrote back to me E! News pal. “That’s my video.”

Jenelle Riley, Deputy Awards and Features Editor

Wilbur Walks the ‘Ted Lasso’ Carpet

What do you do when a last-minute event comes up but you’re dogsitting a puppy with separation anxiety and you can’t leave him at home? If you’re lucky, you take him with you and he’s treated like a king.

Last June, on the day of a “Ted Lasso” Q&A at the Ford Amphitheater with Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, I was watching Wilbur, a pitbull I had originally fostered before a friend adopted him. Wilbur was found on the street outside Sacred Fools Theater Company five years ago and while he’s a pure joy, he has major separation anxiety when he’s not in his own home. I didn’t have his crate or a place I could keep him without worrying, so I asked if it would be OK to bring him … to my surprise, they said yes!

So I bundled all 50-plus pounds of muscular dog into my car and drove to the Ford, where Wilbur was treated like a king. He made himself at home in the green room, was doted on by the security guards and even posed on the red carpet. There was also a fun reunion — I’ve known Hunt for 17 years through our work at the theater company, and he had been present the night Wilbur was found. This was the first time they’d seen each other since the start of the pandemic.

‘House of Gucci’ and ‘West Side Story’ Take the Stage

There’s something about the first time a cast reunites for an in-person Q&A that has an indescribable energy. A packed house is finally seeing their film for the first time and in many cases, the creatives are seeing each other again after a while. In November, I experienced a pair of firsts when the “House of Gucci” crew gathered in Los Angeles for the screening of their film. Not only was it the first time they’d be appearing together after an L.A. screening, it was my first time inside the amazing Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. I watched as the starry cast arrived — Al Pacino, Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto and Salma Hayek — along with director Ridley Scott, producer Giannina Facio and screenwriter Roberto Bentivegna. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the stage at the Academy’s new theater is a stunner — gorgeous and lush and state-of-the-art. When I stepped on stage I actually had to take a moment to take it all in.

A month later, I moderated the first SAG NomCom Q&A for Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” in Los Angeles. Though the cast had already spoken at previous Q&As in New York, the excitement on the Fox lot that night was palpable from both the audience and actors. I could hear audience members cheering throughout the screening and on more than one occasion ran into someone in the restroom with their eyes full of tears. When the cast of mostly film newcomers arrived, they were giddy with excitement. Every actor — Ansel Elgort, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Ariana DeBose and Rachel Zegler — got a standing ovation. Zegler was the last to take the stage and the applause refused to die down when the entire cast was standing there — only an issue because they had another event to get so I had limited time with them.

Nicolas Cage Learns About the ‘Face/Off’ Machine

There are some actors who surpass mere admiration for you and Nicolas Cage is something of a legend in my house. My mother’s family is from a little town called Kapa’a in Kauai, and Cage has been adored there since he made “Honeymoon in Vegas,” in which the island features prominently. Not only that, but there’s a moment in the trailer when Cage is trying to pronounce the name of the very town my mother grew up in. (“Is it Kapa-ah-ah or Kapa-ah-ah-ah??”)

While I’ve interviewed Cage in roundtables early in my career, I’d never spoken to him one on one. Fortunately, his performance in the indie film “Pig” gave me a chance to sit down with him for my first in-person podcast since the pandemic started. He was charming and funny and spoke about his approach to acting with such specificity and clarity, I was in awe. He spoke about his love for his cat Merlin with such authenticity that I literally started to tear up. Then he brought up “Face/Off,” one of my favorite films of all time. I asked him if he had seen the movie “Spy,” in which Jason Statham’s posturing tough guy agent suggests with total sincerity he use a “Face/Off” machine to go undercover. Not only had Cage not seen the movie, he had never heard of this scene. As I described it to him, he laughed and promised to check it out. It was recommending one of my all-time favorite comedies parodying a scene from one of my all-time favorite movies to one of my all-time favorite actors.

Jazz Tangcay, Senior Artisans Editor

Jay-Z Works the Circuit for ‘The Harder They Fall’

Before the Omicron variant caused Hollywood Q&As to grind to a halt, Netflix pulled out an ace card, having Shawn Carter — better known to the rest of the world as Jay-Z — show up to a Q&A for “The Harder They Fall.”

On Dec. 14 at the NeueHouse in Hollywood, a packed vaxxed and tested AMPAS crowd showed up for the mighty Jay, as I moderated. He was there as the film’s producer and songwriter for the Oscar shortlisted original song “Guns Go Bang.” Alongside him was Jeymes Samuel, the film’s director, screenwriter and composer. What a night it was. First of all, he was to be called Mr. Shawn Carter, which was fine in the intro. Alas, when Samuel kept referring to him as “Jay,” inevitably, I slipped and called him “Jay.” And what wicked sense of humor he had as he said, “You can call me Jay,” cue rapturous laughter from the crowd.

Post-Q&A, there was a reception, and of course, everyone wanted their photo with him, and he happily obliged.

But that wasn’t the most talked-about thing of the night, as the following day, it was his watch that went viral. Jay-Z was seen wearing Tiffany & Co.’s new limited-edition Patek Philippe Nautilus watch. The timepiece happened to be the very watch that sold for $6.5 million at an auction the weekend before. And it happens to be the ninth-highest auction price for a watch ever. The unexpected flex by the super-mogul might be the talk of the town and Netflix couldn’t ask for better marketing than that.