Kirsten Dunst shares an emotional reaction to her and Jesse Plemons' Oscar nominations for The Power of the Dog. The real-life couple met during the production of Fargo season 2, in which they played high school sweethearts, hairdresser Peggy and local butcher Ed, who attempt to cover up a homicide. That was after each actor broke out for their respective roles as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and the menacing villain, Todd, on Breaking Bad.
This past fall, Plemons and Dunst once again starred together as a newly-hitched couple, George Burbank and Rose Gordon, in Jane Campion’s Western The Power of the Dog. Featuring Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role as George's domineering brother Phil, the film released December 1 on Netflix and quickly catapulted itself into the awards season discussion. The Power of the Dog ended up receiving a total of 12 nominations at the 94th Academy Awards, the most of any film. This includes recognition for both Plemons and Dunst in the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories. This is each actor's first Oscar nomination.
Now, via Variety, Dunst is sharing her emotional reaction to being nominated for her first Academy Award along with her partner, Plemons, for Power of the Dog. Dunst was alone with their children at the time since Plemons was at work when her manager called her with the exciting news. Dunst immediately broke down in tears, only to hear of Plemons' nomination moments later, and then had to opportunity to call and tell him. Read what she had to say below:
So Eric Kranzler, my manager, calls me. I’m watching the feed on my phone because my kids are watching cartoons and Jesse is at work. He had to go to work super early today. [Eric] called me, and he said I was nominated, so I’m crying with my kids. They’re like, ‘Why the hell is mom crying?’ [Eric] calls me back, and meanwhile I’m in the throes, talking to my mom or whatever. He was like, ‘Jesse just …’ And I started screaming and I hung up the phone. Then Megan, one of my publicists, called me because she’s trying to tell me and I just screamed at her. Then I called Jesse, and I was the first person to tell him, and he was a little shell shocked. I mean, it’s just so crazy to be a couple and have our first nominations together. It’s like a storybook. You know what I mean? It’s so weird. It’s amazing.
Amazingly, Plemons and Dunst aren't the only real-life couple to be nominated for Oscars this year. Married stars Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz accomplished the same feat, albeit for different films. Bardem earned a Best Actor nod for his performance as the bandleader and sitcom star Desi Arnaz in Aaron Sorkin's Being the Ricardos, his fourth overall Oscar nomination. Cruz, on the other hand, received a Best Actress nod for her portrayal of a single mother in the Spanish-language film Parallel Mothers.
It must be an incredible experience for the engaged couple to not only receive their first Oscar nominations together in the same year, but for the same film. With a grand total of 12 nominations, The Power of the Dog could likely be considered the frontrunner in the Best Picture category as well. Tune into the 94th Academy Awards on March 27 to see how the film fares, along with its stars, Dunst and Plemons.
Source: Variety