Director Sofia Coppola and actress Kirsten Dunst go back a long way. The pals of 20 years have a history of making great movies about women together, like 1999’s The Virgin Suicides and 2006's Marie Antoinette. At this point, they're so comfortable with each other on and off set that Coppola felt comfortable asking Dunst to lose weight for her role in their new movie The Beguiled — and Dunst had no reservations about pushing back.
In their new cover story for Variety, Dunst recalls how the 46-year-old director — who said she feels "big-sisterly" to the 35-year-old — suggested she lose a few pounds for the upcoming Southern gothic drama, co-starring Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning. Dunst "pushed back" at the directive, and says that Coppola was pretty understanding. "It’s so much harder when you’re 35 and hate working out," Dunst explained to Variety. The actress also pointed to the filming location in rural Louisiana, where dining options were apparently limited, as a practical reason why she didn't plan on losing weight for the movie. "I’m eating fried chicken and McDonald’s before work," she said. "So I’m like, 'We have no options! I’m sorry I can’t lose weight for this role.'"
Whether or not it was okay for Coppola to ask her star to lose weight is obviously a concern, but what's great here is how open the two women are about it — and, mostly, how Dunst didn't think twice about telling her friend and director, "hell no, girlfriend." You go, Kirsten.