Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst refused to speak to each other on set of The Power of the Dog
‘I didn’t want to be really mean to Kirsten, but I needed to stay in character,’ said the ‘Sherlock’ star
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Benedict Cumberbatch has claimed that he and Kirsten Dunst refused to speak to each other on the set of The Power of the Dog.
In Jane Campion’s acclaimed dramatic film, which arrives on Netflix soon, Cumberbatch plays Phil, a cowboy who works on a ranch with his brother George (Jesse Plemons) in the 1920s.
Dunst plays Plemons’ new wife, Rose, to whom Cumberbatch’s character takes an immediate dislike.
Speaking to NME about the role, Cumberbatch revealed that this on-screen animosity meant he was “repelled” by his co-star between takes.
“I didn’t want to be really mean to Kirsten, but I needed to stay in character,” he said. “So I didn’t speak to her on-set. She was the same.
“We were the negative to each other’s positive. [We were] repelled by each other.”
Cumberbatch has spoken previously about his method acting for The Power of the Dog, revealing that he never broke character on set, and refused to answer if someone called him by his real name.
The actor also gave himself nicotine poisoning three times by smoking a large number of filterless cigarettes, and refused to wash during the making of the film.
The Power of the Dog is in cinemas now, and will arrive on Netflix on 1 December.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments