It might come as a surprise to many who follow high-profile celebrity relationships to learn that Jesse Plemons, famed for his role in "Friday Night Lights," has been in a long-standing, low-key relationship with Kirsten Dunst. Despite their quiet presence in the public eye, a closer examination reveals that they share a remarkably compatible and genuinely happy connection away from the spotlight.
Their paths first intersected as co-stars during the second season of the FX series "Fargo." However, their initial meeting took place in a rather unexpected and famously chaotic location - the Los Angeles International Airport. Plemons recounted this first encounter while delivering a speech at the ceremony for Dunst's Hollywood Star. Despite feeling initially daunted due to Dunst's impressive and extensive career spanning over three decades, he found her approachability and warmth immediately comforting.
Describing their first interaction, Plemons reflected, "I looked into her eyes and saw the beautiful, sweet, unguarded, welcoming, human being that she is. It was truly in an instant." Their story is a testament to the fact that profound connections can arise in the most unexpected places and moments.
How Did Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst Meet
(Photo by Dan Steinberg/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
It wasn't exactly an immediate connection for the pair, which is important because they were able to set a strong foundation based on friendship. Dunst had been in a longtime relationship with actor Garrett Hedlund, which didn't end until 2016, a year after she first met Plemons working on "Fargo." Just two months after the split was confirmed, Dunst was photographed kissing Plemons and they've been together ever since.
Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst Family Life
(Photo by Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images)
The actor proposed in 2017, but later that year it was revealed that Dunst was actually pregnant. The pregnancy came as a welcome surprise, and the happy couple welcomed their son Ennis Howard the following year. At the time, Dunst admitted that her family didn't know why they wanted to wait to get married.
"But we're about as married as you can get," Dunst told PorterEdit. "We have a kid together. My mom was like, 'But when are you guys getting married?' And I said, 'Mom, I'm not going to get married when I'm pregnant. I want to have fun and have a drink. I mean, we're paying for this wedding. I'm paying for the bar! I want to enjoy it.' [My mom is] kind of old-school in that way. I thought I would have a hard time getting pregnant, but it was a surprise. If I hadn't met Jesse, I would have frozen my eggs. [But] it feels like I lucked out."
Jesse Plemons' Career
Apple Studios
Dallas, Texas native Plemons was a child actor, similar to Dunst, but really made his big breakthrough playing Landry Clarke on the NBC series "Friday Night Lights." He's created quite an impressive career for himself with follow-up roles as Todd Alquist on AMC's "Breaking Bad" and "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie," the Martin Scorsese Netflix film "The Irishman," "Game Night," "Hostiles," "American Made," "Black Mass," the Steven Spielberg films "The Post" and "Bridge of Spies," the role of Philip Seymour Hoffman's son in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," and even played a young Matt Damon in "All the Pretty Horses." Plemons has appeared in multiple Oscar-nominated films and earned Emmy nominations for his roles in "Fargo" and "Black Mirror." He's come a long way since being a child actor on the set of "Varsity Blues." Recently he starred alongside Dunst in the Academy Award-winning Western "The Power of the Dog" and in Scorcese's "The Killers of the Flower Moon," which is expected to nab a few Oscars in 2024. He's also nominated for an Emmy and a Critics Choice Award for his supporting role in "Love & Death" and appears in the upcoming film "Civil War."
Kirsten Dunst's Career
Netflix
Meanwhile, we've been watching Dunst since she played a child vampire opposite Brad Pitt in "Interview with the Vampire," a role that earned her a Golden Globe nomination. She's known for starring in the high school drama "The Virgin Suicides," "Bring It On," "Spider-Man" and earned a Golden Globe nomination for her role in "Fargo." She's an incredible actress so it's nice to see that she's settled down with Plemons and that they are enjoying a private family life on their own terms.
"He's my favorite actor—the best I've ever worked with," Dunst said of Plemons to PorterEdit. "I just knew he would be in my life forever. I didn't know what capacity that would be at the time. When ['Fargo'] was over, I just missed him terribly. We didn't get together until a year later. We were both smart enough that we were wondering if the connection was just because we were working together. But it was real."
Plemons Praises Dunst at Her Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony
(Photo by David Livingston/WireImage)
Plemons further proved that their love is real by singing his longtime partner's praises at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.
"Aside from the brilliant actor you are, I've also had the even greater pleasure of getting to know you as a person outside of work," he said. "Seeing the kind of mother, 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. It's for the incredibly generous and amazing person that you are."
In a photoshoot with W Magazine, Dunst revealed that she was pregnant with the couple's second child. The actress appeared in the photoshoot with actresses Elle Fanning and Rashida Jones, directed by her longtime friend and collaborator, Sofia Coppola. The 38-year-old joked to People that because she was pregnant, she had a few issues with the shoot which featured her photographed lying down, making her growing baby bump very prominent.
"Every shot was on the floor. I was like, 'I can't get up.' I felt like Urkel."
The couple welcomed their second son, James Robert Plemons, in 2021 and officially tied the knot in July 2022.
