Jesse Plemons’ brief-but-terrifying appearance in Civil War made for one of the film’s most memorable moments – but it almost didn’t happen at all.
In fact, the Breaking Bad actor wasn’t even meant to be in the dystopian thriller, but was cast just days before he was due to start shooting, thanks to a glowing referral from wife Kirsten Dunst.
The famous couple both star in Alex Garland’s new film about a group of journalists who travel from New York to the White House at the height of social unrest.
Kirsten plays photojournalist Lee, while husband Jesse’s cameo is a slightly more disturbing one that makes for a pivotal moment in the plot.
But as revealed in a new interview with the LA Times, the actor was not director Alex’s first choice for the role.
In fact, another unnamed actor had to drop out about a week before filming began, which led to Jesse being cast.
“I was standing out on the street when I got the call and I thought, ‘Oh s—. Now, now we’re in trouble,’” the Ex Machina director recalled.
“And so I went to the rehearsal and said ‘Bad news, guys, so and so can’t do it.’”
Luckily, the Spider-Man actor already knew her husband was available, and suggested they ask Jesse to step into the role.
“Kirsten said, ‘What? You should ask Jesse’,” Alex continued. “And I thought, ‘Oh, that would be amazing’.”
The director said Jesse’s addition to the film was a “stunning bit of good luck”, and while he didn’t wish to be “disrespectful” to the other actor, he did admit the film was “very lucky to get Jesse”.
Speaking about the experience of acting alongside her husband’s character in Civil War, Kirsten explained: “I’m going to be very honest — watching him play that role, I was like, ‘Dang, my baby is crushing this role.’ So that’s how I felt. I was like, ‘F—, he’s a good actor.’
“The scenario was very scary, but I wasn’t scared of him.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the married couple have acted opposite each other on screen.
They first met on the set of Fargo season two in 2015, before they got engaged in 2017 and married in 2022.
Kirsten and Jesse both went on to star in The Power of the Dog in 2021, which earned them each their first Oscar nominations.