Civil War’s Terrifying Jesse Plemons Scenes Had Co-Stars On Edge: “It Was So Haunting”

The following contains spoilers for Civil War, now playing in theaters

Summary

• Jesse Plemons’ intense performance in
  Civil War
  surprised castmates, creating a chilling and haunting experience.
• Plemons used method acting to stay in character, terrifying co-stars like Cailee Spaeny and impressing Kirsten Dunst.
• The mass grave scene in
  Civil War
  showcases Plemons’ dedication and talent, leaving a lasting impact on the cast.

Even Jesse Plemons’ castmates were terrified by his Civil War performance. After Texas and California form a military alliance, the United States is plunged into a civil war. Brutal fighting fills the entire movie, and a small group of journalists desperately try to survive and document the events. They eventually stumble upon Jesse Plemons’ character, a brutal military commander with no clear allegiance. As he stands over a mass grave, he works to kill everyone in sight, while demanding to know “what kind of an American” they are.

The terrifying scene came as a surprise for Civil War‘s journalist heroes, but the cast was shocked too. Cailee Spaeny, Kirsten Dunst, and Stephen McKinley Henderson spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the mass grave scene. They revealed that Plemons actually hid from them before filming. When he did appear, he relied on method acting to make the experience “haunting” for his co-stars. Check out their quotes below:

Cailee Spaeny:
“He was sort of hidden for the day. He didn’t join the rest of us actors beforehand on the way. We were sort of like, ‘Where’s Jesse?’ And then he came out and he was in character. While they were filming the scene with the other characters farther away, we were walking down and Jesse was completely in character, improvising the whole time and just drilling me. I was just thinking, ‘Oh my God, Jesse, please stop!’ It was so haunting. He did such a brilliant job, but my God, after two days of that, it was a lot.”

Kirsten Dunst:
“We’re lucky Jesse did this for us. Alex is lucky that he’s my husband and he was free. We don’t really have much of an exchange in that scene, so I could really enjoy his performance. I’m just blown away by him as an actor.”

Stephen McKinley Henderson:
“You got to be a good person to do that. But he’s chilling. I’m glad to be able to take him out. I pay the cost, but it’s worth it.”

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Source: EW