Jane Campion’s western drama The Power of the Dog is the filmmaker’s first feature film in 12 years, having last directed the movie Bright Star. Based on Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name, Power of the Dog stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons as brothers – the vicious bully Phil and the kind-hearted George – in 1925 Montana. When George brings home a new wife, the widow Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and her son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Phil brutally torments the new arrivals, driving them to tears with his cruelty. One day, Phil abruptly decides to take Rose’s son under his wing, but this gesture leaves Rose and the viewers distrusting Phil’s motives.
In an interview with Casting Networks, Campion said that when she was ready to cast the film, she did not begin by meeting and reading with potential Phils and Georges.
“That only happened on paper,” said Campion, laughing. “I wish there could be more creative exploration, but this is Hollywood. You don’t get to meet people unless you offer them parts at these levels. I wish we could talk and see who really is up for the role and wants to do it. But that’s not possible with the agent system.”
Campion sent the script out to a few actors who passed. Then she sent them out to the agencies and decided to “wait and see who comes to us,” feeling confident that if the material piqued the right actors’ interests, they would be reaching out to her. That’s exactly what happened next – Cumberbatch’s agent phoned Campion to say the actor wanted to do the film.
“He was on my paper (list),” said Campion. “It’s maybe an unusual choice, but I was looking at all the actors I’ve ever loved. I think he’s a fantastic actor and can do anything. Sometimes when you give a really good actor a challenge, it’s more exciting than if they’re playing a ‘type.’ They dig deep in those moments. It’s a more thrilling event for them to find those qualities in themselves. I think that makes them commit further, in a way. So that was my bet.”
She bet right, and now Cumberbatch is earning some of the most positive reviews of his career for the role not to mention some very strong Oscar buzz.
When it came to casting Cumberbatch’s on-screen brother George and his bride Rose, Campion never thought she’d end up with a real-life married couple. Elizabeth Moss, who worked with Campion on the New Zealand TV series Top of the Lake, was slated to star as Rose, with Paul Dano as George. When Moss had a scheduling conflict and had to step away from the role, Campion began to go through filmographies of other actresses’ performances she loved, including Kirsten Dunst in films like Melancholia and The Virgin Suicides.
“I didn’t know Kirsten, but I loved the mystery, the pain and sadness, and the warmth and beauty in her,” Campion observed. “Within the acting community, she’s unique in being well-loved as a super-honest person.”
After replacing Moss with Dunst, another piece of the casting puzzle came loose. Dano had a scheduling conflict with The Batman and had to drop out, and Campion was left without a George. Others suggested Dunst’s real-life husband, Jesse Plemmons, telling Campion, ‘He is George.’ When she finally met him, the actor had just finished shooting Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and he was feeling very under the weather.
“I was struck by him immediately,” recalled Campion. “He has this incredible sincerity around him, and I hadn’t met anybody so sincere. Then he said, ‘I’d rather play Phil.’ That was awkward. But he says what he thinks.”
Campion tried talking him into playing George, explaining that the role would allow Plemons to create a beautifully detailed character. It would also be an exciting departure from some of the more evil characters and supporting roles he often plays. (A psychopathic villain in Breaking Bad, a sadistic introvert in an episode of Black Mirror, and a mobster in Black Mass are just some examples Plemmons is known for). Plemons’ initial hesitation stemmed from the fact that he couldn’t get past the surface level of the character. When Campion likened George’s power to the kind of power held by Robert Duvall’s consigliere character in The Godfather, things clicked for Plemons in better understanding George and his purpose.
In the meantime, Dunst loved the idea of starring alongside her real-life husband, telling the filmmaker that many people in the business often can’t “handle that we’re married and can work together.” (The couple first met when they played husband and wife in the second season of the anthology series, Fargo.)
Since the shoot would be taking place in New Zealand, Dunst jokingly sweetened the deal for the director, saying the production could save money on housing by having a married couple as part of the cast. According to Campion: “She said, ‘We’d be living in the same house, you know; you’re getting two for the price of one!”
The Power of the Dog is currently playing in theaters and streaming on Netflix.
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