Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/557531
Kirsten, unscripted As she readies for the fall premiere of Fargo and next year's release of Midnight Special, actress K IRSTEN DUNST talks about these projects—both written by Austinites—her influences, fashion, and our city with friend and fellow risk-taker julianne Moore. photography by R ENÉ & R ADK A styling by GiolliosA + NAtAliE FullER K irsten Dunst likes to keep things inter- esting. With a catalog full of edgy, thoughtful roles going back to child- hood, the actress, now 33, certainly has had her blockbusters (the Spider- Man franchise, Bring It On), but she is drawn to visionary directors like Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette) and Lars von Trier (Melancholia, for which Dunst won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011) and interesting writing. Her two new big projects, both created by Austin talents, continue that streak. First up is the second season of FX's acclaimed anthology series Fargo, written by the Emmy Award–winning Noah Hawley and premiering in September. Dunst's costar is Austin favorite Jesse Plemons of Friday Night Lights and Breaking Bad. Next spring comes Midnight Special, the anticipated major-studio debut of local writer and director Jeff Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter). The supernatural thriller costars Dunst, Michael Shannon, Joel Edgerton, and Adam Driver. Another actress known for risk-taking roles, the Academy Award–winning Julianne Moore, spoke to Dunst for Austin Way about her friend's new roles, fashion, and why Dunst wants to move to Austin. Julianne Moore: You have a busy fall, Kirsten! Let's start with your role of Peggy in Fargo. What drew you to the character? Kirsten Dunst: The first season was outstanding. I loved the writing and the way it was shot. And then I got [the scripts for] two episodes of the new season with Noah [Hawley], and I just knew that whatever trajectory Pegg y was going on was going to [make her] one of the nuttiest characters I've ever played. The roles in the films I was being considered for weren't even close to what I got with Fargo. Wow. So what's the character trying to do? She's trying to break out of Minnesota… and basically become a celebrity hairdresser. Something intercepts her goal, and she and her husband spend the season figuring it out. She's pretty delusional. Who plays your husband? Jesse Plemons. He's awesome. He played Landry [on Friday Night Lights]; he was in Olive Kitteridge; and he's coming out with a lot of movies now. Most of our scenes are together, and we developed a great friendship. We had a really great bond together for the show. What about Midnight Special? What's that about? Midnight Special is about a young boy—my son in the movie—who has special powers, and we don't know what those are. It reminds me of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. It's a road trip/chase movie to get my son to where he may need to be—we don't know. Both Fargo and Midnight Special were made by Austinites who have achieved success by sticking to their creative principles. What was it like working with Jeff Nichols and Noah Hawley? I really love Take Shelter and Mud. I think Jeff is one of the best young directors of our time. I've wanted to work with him for a while, so I fought to be in this movie. Jeff is incredible. He's not from Austin, but I understand why he lives here. And Noah Hawley wants to retire here, he tells me. He's a genius, too, in his own right. Cool people move to Austin. I want to live here, for sure. When I first came to Austin, I immediately said, 'How can I find a realtor? I want to move.' Jesse Plemons has a place in Austin. It has the best sushi restaurant [Uchi], and everything is just so theatrical. I've road-tripped through Austin and swum in Barton Springs; Austin is just one of the best cities in America, hands-down. That's what everybody says! Were you at South by Southwest? I did go once to South by Southwest, and then I just did a road trip AUSTINWAY.com 77