TAGGED AS: A24, Action, movies
Writer-director Alex Garland is no stranger to thought-provoking themes, but most would agree that releasing a film called Civil War, set in a politically divided U.S., during an election year, is bold, even for him. Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, and Wagner Moura star in the tense road film as a trio of journalists making their way to Washington, D.C. to capture the titular conflict, facing obstacles and life-threatening situations along the way.
Ahead of the film’s release, Garland, Dunst, Spaeny, and Moura broke down one particularly dangerous scene in the film when two characters swap cars as they speed down a highway alongside each other. They speak about the character dynamics that needed to be established in order for the scene to work, the challenges of performing stunts with moving vehicles, the complications that ensued when one of the stars caught COVID, and more.
Wagner Moura: One great thing about this movie is that we shot the film in chronological order, so the friendship that’s so necessary between those journalists, that their lives depend on each other, kind of grew up while our friendship was also becoming stronger and stronger and stronger.
Cailee Spaeny: And we were in that car for about 70% of the film, so we were very physically close with each other. Tight space. [laughs]
Kirsten Dunst: Yeah, I immediately felt that the cast that Alex put together was, like, good people. Everyone got along and listened to each other and we were all there to make the best thing we could together.
Alex Garland: There’s a sense of levity in the scene, and relief, so it sets itself up like something really bad is going to happen, which then gets diffused, but that is setting up something really bad.
Watch the video for the full interview with Alex Garland, Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, and Wagner Moura.
Civil War
(2024)
is currently in theaters.
