Kirsten Dunst confirms she refused to speak to Benedict Cumberbatch on set of The Power of the Dog

Cumberbatch recently said the stars were ‘repelled’ by each other because of the characters they were playing

Kirsten Dunst has confirmed that she “isolated” herself from Benedict Cumberbatch 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.

Cumberbatch said last week 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.”

Now, in a new interview with Radio Times, Dunst has confirmed the story. “I isolated myself from Benedict,” she said. “We didn’t talk at all during the filming unless we were out to dinner on a weekend, all together, or playing with our kids.

“He’s so sweet. And he’s so British. Polite British, you know? I was like, ‘I can’t talk to you!’”

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.