Image Source: The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire

Jamie Dornan and Kristen Dunst had first starred together in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film “Marie Antoinette.” The two had just started their acting career, and they happened to do it together. Later they went on to star in their respective hits. For Kristen it was Spider-Man, and for Jamie Dornan, it was Fifty Shades of Grey.  

As Jamie Dornan and Kristen Dunst had worked together on Dornan's first acting job, the two came together for a talk. Jamie revealed in his Variety interview with her that he had thought his first gig was his last. The actor shared that he was not sure about what he was doing with acting at the time, but now seventeen years later, he has managed to make a name for himself in the acting space. 

In fact, apart from creating a platform for themselves, the two actors Kristen Dunst and Jamie Dornan, have also begun their respective families and become parents. Kristen Dunst is a mother to two children, and Jamie is a father to three. 

Recalling back their beginning days in the acting space, Dornan said, "We were both 22 when we started. Yours was quite a big event. Mine was much of a lesser occasion. That was a pretty good first gig. I know you started pretty strong as a young actor and much younger."

Being new to the world of acting, Dunst was not comfortable with the new dynamics of her work. Sharing her first gig on the workspace, she said, "All our stuff was like making out, and I’m not comfortable with that. It’s never comfortable, ever. I think my first time I even showed my breasts was with Sofia. She never used the take, and I don’t even think you were there. I felt overwhelmed too."

Before acting, Dornan was in a band, and when the actor was presented with the opportunity for acting, he quickly latched on to it. "I was a bit like, “This is a cool opportunity. I’ll do that.” I wasn’t one of those kids who was like, I want to be an actor when I grow up," he revealed. "I was just following what my gut was telling me to do." 

"I feel like each movie is kind of its own planet. I really like a more natural way of acting rather than a presentational way of acting," added Kristen Dunst. She did add that all takes to acting are still great in their own right. 

Revealing his own preference for acting and performances, the actor divulged, "I’ve always been drawn to very naturalistic performances. I want to talk to you about “The Power of the Dog.” I love that you have that stillness." Continuing with the conversation, Jamie asked Kristen how easy it was for her to work with Jane Campion. He asked, "I mean, she’s a bit of an enigma to me. Did you find that reputation she had harder to access, or was she open from the beginning with you?"

"Jane wanted to get down to what really makes me tick as Rose — her vulnerabilities and what she related to Rose in her own life. She had a nanny that was gaslighting her, bullying her, would not feed her certain things.," the actress replied. "So immediately, she was vulnerable about her own struggles.

And surprisingly, Jane is a very good actress. Whenever we were in rehearsal, she acted so well. And sometimes behind the camera, when I wasn’t on screen I’d watch her, and she’d mouth the lines — almost like a little stage mother-y."

The power of The Dog shows Kristen on the piano, and as the actress did not play beforehand, learning her pieces was a difficult job. "We had a month before we started shooting, and I didn’t play the piano. So that was a really big hurdle for me to get through. I learned two pieces," she said. "When I finally put my hands together and started to learn it like that, I literally looked up and thanked God. I think I cried a little bit. Because it’s so hard to learn an instrument, especially when you have a child."

Joking of her musical struggle, she said, "I put my kid to bed and then just get to the piano and drive everybody nuts with the same lick over and over again."

And as the actors get into their characters, it is not an easy job to leave the roles behind on the sets and get home as a person who is different from the actor on the shoot. Dunst said, "These things seep in, no matter what. I felt like I was more insecure playing Rose than I have been in a very long time about the work I had done for the day." 

Similarly, she asked Dornan, "In “Belfast,” you play Kenneth Branagh’s father. I’m sure there’s some kind of pressure in that — to do his father justice. Was that a weird thing for you?"

The actor explained, "We had this brilliant introductory discussion. He was making me feel that I was the only person he wanted to be portraying his father. And we’re talking about his life story. I had so many questions for him in the beginning about his father and how he really would have responded in these scenarios, trying to get a sense of his dad beyond the page."

"It’s not like he wouldn’t answer them, but he was very much like: “I want you to do your own thing with it,” he said, sharing the advice that the actor imparted to him. 

Kristen Dunst and Jamie Dornan in Marie Antoinette; Credits: The NY Times

"That’s massive to be given that confidence, rather than trying to be this idealized version of who his father was. So it ended up being easy because I’ve never felt such freedom on a set. I’ve never felt so confident on a film set before," he said, appreciating the piece of guidance he got.