The Power of the Dog stars keep earning critical acclaim for their work together, proving to be one of the industry’s power couples.
Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons' romance has been a slow-burning one, started shortly after they filmed the second season of critically acclaimed series Fargo.
The Bring It On star and the Breaking Bad alum played high school sweethearts on the second season of the show inspired by the movie of the same name by the Coen brothers. They were first spotted together out on set in 2016, as Dunst was coming out of a long relationship with actor Garrett Hedlund.
She and Plemons got engaged the following year, welcoming two children and keeping their personal life as private as possible, while also working and achieving career milestones together.
It's safe to say that both Plemons and Dunst were fans of each other before playing Ed and Peggy Blomquist, a small-town husband and wife becoming involved in an escalating series of bizarre murders.
Plemons was particularly stoked about working with Dunst, who ended up being nominated at the Emmys (with Plemons) and at the Golden Globes for the role of Peggy.
"It was a gift," the Friday Night Lights alum said at PaleyFest in 2015 when asked about working with the Marie Antoinette star.
"I loved Kirsten's work for a long time, and I was really excited once I'd met her, and she's a great person, and we're both actors that just… have fun with the material."
In a recent interview, Dunst confirmed she was interested in Plemons' craft before filming Fargo, and adorably described him as "her favorite actor."
She admitted having "binged" her co-star's work while in Calgary at the time the FX series was being filmed, saying they "fell in love" as actors first.
"We weren't together on Fargo. We kind of fell in love creatively first and fell in love, just as actors," she said during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in November last year.
The actress did her research before getting to work with Plemons, but apparently missed one of his most famous roles: that of Todd Alquist in Breaking Bad.
"I watched all of Friday Night Lights for the first time. We were cold in Calgary, and there wasn't much to do so I went on a Jesse Plemons [binge]," Dunst explained.
"[But] I have not seen [Breaking Bad] and I feel weird about it," she said, adding that Plemons isn't really into the idea of watching the show now: "That's the last thing he wants to watch with me."
Dunst isn't alone in gushing over her partner, as Plemons, too, has had nothing but praise for her throughout their relationship.
When the Melancholia protagonist received her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in August 2019, Plemons gave an emotional speech in her honor, calling her "wife" despite the two of them hadn't tied the knot yet.
"Aside from the brilliant actor you are, I have also had the even greater pleasure of getting to know you as a person outside of work — KiKi or Keeks," Plemons said in his speech.
"Seeing the kind of mother and wife, daughter, sister, friend and cohort you are is why I and all of your friends and everyone else are here today and why we all love you."
But Fargo wasn't the only time the two talented actors shared the screen.
They played a couple once again in 2021's award-winning drama The Power of the Dog, a Western drama also starring Benedict Cumberbatch and directed by Jane Campion. For the role of Rose Gordon and George Burbank, both Dunst and Plemons received their very first Oscar nomination.
"To be honored by the Academy is a truly humbling experience," Dunst told Us in a statement at the time.
"For both Jesse and I to get our first nominations together is beyond our wildest dreams.
"Congratulations to [director] Jane [Campion], Benedict [Cumberbatch], Kodi [Smit-McPhee], and Jesse on their nominations and the entire cast and crew of The Power of the Dog. Working on this film was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm forever grateful for Jane trusting me to bring Rose's story to life. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing our work and for putting me amongst such a remarkable group of actresses."
Given all they touch turns into Hollywood gold, it's understandable that this power couple is eager to work together again. Dunst, particularly, has been very open about wanting to work with Plemons in the future.
"We actually talked to [Power of the Dog producer] Tanya Seghatchian about what Jesse and I should do next," she told The Hollywood Reporter.
"We have some ideas, and Jesse and I definitely want [to] do another project. He's my favorite actor to work with," the actress added.
Dunst and Plemons got engaged in 2017 after one year of dating. However, they didn't tie the knot until July 2022.
"We're definitely going to have a wedding eventually, but probably [a] small [ceremony] at home or something, like, really intimate, not a big wedding," Dunst told Us about wedding planning in 2019. "It's a priority, but you know how life is. You've got other little things. So it has to be a good time when we can all have fun."
During her interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! the actress joked that she kept on getting pregnant — her sons with Plemons were born in 2018 and 2021— and wanted to wait to be able to drink at her own wedding.
After five years, the couple finally said "I do" in Jamaica last July, with Dunst's rep confirming the happy news to Page Six.
"I can just confirm they got married. No other details will be given."
Stefania is a film and TV writer based in London, UK. Her work has appeared on The Mary Sue, Digital Spy, and The Guardian.
