‘Civil War' Director Alex Garland Warns Mistrust of Journalists ‘Makes Life Dangerous For Everyone'

Nick Offerman said he never thought he would be cast in a project that wasn’t a comedy. That is, until he got the script for “Civil War” from writer and director Alex Garland.

“(Alex) is so thoughtful, that he could make this movie without pandering to anything, and instead is like here’s what I think about where we’re all headed,” Offerman told Variety. “We don’t need to talk about who voted for who, because we’re all headed this way if we don’t become better neighbors. When I first read the script, I was like ‘I’m so grateful that he needs a dipshit like me to show up and put on a wig and say some lines.'”

The star-studded cast unanimously agreed with Offerman, all singing Garland’s praises at the movie’s premiere at the Tedd Mann Theater at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Set in a dystopian future America, the story follows wartime photojournalist Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and her fellow reporters as they race to reach Washington D.C. before rebels incite an insurrection at the White House to remove the three-term authoritarian president (Nick Offerman).

“Priscilla” star Cailee Spaeny, who plays young photojournalist Jessie, told Variety Garland was the main draw for her to the project. She said this was the first time a director gave her a challenging character that was so far removed from who she is, and she is grateful for the trust that Garland put in her.

“I hope the movie sparks conversations,” Spaeny said. “I hope it opens people’s minds and I think the only way out is for us to talk to each other and listen.”

Garland told Variety that while writing the script, he was concerned that democracy was being eroded in a significant way – not just in America, but also globally: “I have a belief in the importance and necessity of journalism,” Garland said. “Journalism has been really under attack and a complicated way, and journalists are not trusted anymore. That’s problematic. That’s makes life dangerous for everybody. So, I put journalists at the front and center.”

Dunst said she had never read anything like this script before, and she admires what Garland was able to pull off: “I loved our cast so much,” Dunst said. “Even when there were hard days or intense days, we had each other. We really were a team.”

Wagner Moura, who plays Reuters journalist Joel in the film, said he thinks audiences need to pay more attention to the dangers of polarization and its threat on democracy. “Everybody’s gonna have a different read on it,” he said of the film. “That’s the beauty with any beautiful art form. Right after I wrapped “Civil War,” I really started to listen to people that think differently. I think we should talk because you would be surprised that the common grounds are bigger than our differences.”

“Civil War” is in theaters April 12.

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