The A24 original movie Civil War is just a few days away (April 12). Famed director Alex Garland, whose past films include Men, Annihilation, and Ex Machina, is helming the dystopian thriller.
The movie’s first action-packed trailer became quite popular after it was released in December 2023. The plot of Civil War, which stars Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Nick Offerman, follows a group of journalists as they travel across the country during the rapidly intensifying Second American Civil War that has engulfed the entire country.
And, Offerman is assuming the role of President of the United States.
In a recent interview, Dunst spilled the beans on Offerman’s role, which has been making headlines for its inspiration from the 45th U.S. president, Donald Trump.
Civil War: Kirsten Dunst’s Insights on Nick Offerman’s Role
Nick Offerman, best known for Parks and Recreation and Fargo, is taking on a new role as the president of the United States in Alex Garland’s upcoming flick, Civil War.
The first trailer shows America in a state of chaos after the President violated the Constitution and seized a third term. Consequently, in order to combat the military under presidential control, Texas and California have united as the Western Forces of Texas and California.
The most commonly held belief is that Offerman’s character is a tyrant who creates an unlikely relationship between California and Texas (per Uproxx). One may legitimately wonder if the actor’s role is based on the 45th president of the United States, considering that Donald Trump made an attempt to reverse the results of a presidential election in America with the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 (see NY Times).
Well, Offerman’s character is just a “fascist president”, according to Kirsten Dunst, who also has a significant role in the film. The Elizabethtown actress, 41, recently told Variety:
“It feels fictitious to me. I don’t want to compare because that’s the antithesis of the film. It’s just a fascist president. But I didn’t think about Nick’s character being any certain political figure. I just thought this is this president, in this world, who will not abide by the Constitution and democracy.”
Released on February 20, 2024, the second trailer for Civil War added more domestic battles, including one at the Lincoln Memorial, to further contextualize this historic conflict.
Alex Garland’s Perspective on Texas & California’s Connection
The Hollywood Reporter spoke with director Alex Garland recently on the red carpet, and he gave his reasoning for pairing Texas and California in his upcoming film starring Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny.
He made it clear that he had given the decision careful thought and that there were two factors at play. Garland went on to say that the reason behind the states’ pairing was that they were opposites and that viewers may find it divisive. It might, however, also cause people to consider how serious the situation is.
Director Alex Garland shares his reasoning for paring up California and Texas in #CivilWar at the premiere of the film pic.twitter.com/4SFfDrHKtq
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) April 3, 2024
The Beach author said:
“Obviously, it was intentional. Partly to get around a kind of reflexive, polarizing position that people might fall into.”
However, he also offered a second “main” explanation for this choice. Garland continued by describing how the President’s dismantling of laws has transformed him into a “fascist”. He described how both of the states in the film rise to the challenge and unite to defend democracy. In his words:
“So then its saying that two states that have a different political position have said our political difference is less important than this. And then the counter to that is, if you cannot conceive of that. What you’re saying is that you’re polarized political position would be more important than a fascist president which when you put it like that I would suggest is insane. Thats an insane position to hold. So its a sort of a bleak commentary.”
Let’s see how the film performs at the box office upon its release. Also, note that Garland is planning to step down as director following the release of Civil War.
Civil War will arrive in theatres on April 12.
