Kirsten Dunst stopped acting for over two years after 2021’s Power of the Dog because all she was offered were ‘sad mother roles’

Kirsten Dunst returns to the big screen for the first time in almost three years with A24’s Civil War, revealing there was a reason behind it.

The 41-year-old hasn’t acted since 2021 Best Picture nominee The Power of a Dog, revealing in a Marie Claire interview was because she was only offered ‘sad mother roles’ after that film.

“To be honest, it’s been hard for me… because I need to feed myself,” she said of her acting hiatus.

‘The most difficult thing is being a mother and… not feeling like I have nothing for myself. “That’s how all mothers are, not just me,” she added.

The actress admitted, “There are definitely less good roles for women my age,” adding that’s why she signed on for Alex Garland’s Civil War, which hits theaters April 12.

She plays Lee Smith, described as a “fierce photojournalist” who risks her life covering the fictional American Civil War, in which 19 states seceded from the Union.

Dunst admitted that she was drawn to Civil War because it was new territory for her as an actress.

“When I read the script, I thought, I’ve never done anything like this,” she said, admitting that she’s a “nerd” for one-off writers and directors like Garland.

“I love that she’s someone who pushes boundaries,” Dunst said, while Garland himself had nothing but praise for her as well.

‘Kirsten is simply a first class actress. She has a deep level of talent and, more importantly for this role, she has soul. “It’s in her eyes and in her gaze that she feels perfect for a photographer,” she said of the actress.

The film is packed with explosive action sequences, including a car chase scene that, Dunst admitted, “shook me to my core.”

‘I remember hearing them practice an explosion. “We were in the hair and makeup trailer, which was very far from the set, and the whole trailer shook,” she said.

He also spoke about a traumatic scene that played out in the White House, with Dunst adding: “There are so many shootings, and then you look at the news and it’s a school shooting again.”

Dunst added that she, “had PTSD for a good two weeks after,” she wrapped production on the film.

“I remember coming home and having lunch and feeling really empty,” Garland adds to Dunst, “allowing myself to live inside the movie and feel the reality of the moments.”

Writer-director Garland, who wrote 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Never Let Me Go and Dredd before his directorial debut, 2014’s Ex Machina, admitted Dunst had more experience.

‘Kirsten has a lot more film experience than me. She has been doing it longer and she has made many more films,” the director revealed.

‘Working with her was often educational. “She would have an idea for a scene that would not only help with the drama, but would also make it easier to pull off,” she added.