Kirsten Dunst says she had "a little bit of trauma" after filming Ex Machina director's new movie due to real-life explosions on set

On the set of Ex Machina and Annihilation director Alex Garland's latest movie, authenticity was key. Civil War, an action-packed film that follows a near-future version of the US as it's torn apart by a tyrannical president, seceded states, and violence, used real tanks, real weapons, and real jets to bring its warfare to life.

"We shot pretty much in order, and so the last two weeks were all gunfire and explosions – it was very intense," Kirsten Dunst, who plays war photographer Lee, tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday, March 28, which features The Fall Guy on the cover. "I mean, I can leave it mostly on the set. But I did feel a little bit of trauma going back to normal life after this. I felt out of it for a good two weeks."

The movie follows Dunst's character Lee as she travels from New York to Washington DC with fellow experienced journalists Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and young aspiring war photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) before the US capital falls.

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"The planes, oh my goodness, the planes," Henderson adds. "And the tanks, the sound of the weaponry…" Moura continues: "It made the whole thing very real."

Pre-order The Fall Guy issue of Total Film

Civil War is released in cinemas on April 12. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, March 28.

Check out the covers below:

Total Film's The Fall Guy covers — (Image credit: Universal/Total Film)

Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. You’ll get every issue before it's in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers.

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Jamie Graham is a freelance writer and former Editor-at-Large of Total Film magazine. You'll likely find them around these parts reviewing the biggest films on the planet and speaking to some of the biggest stars in the business – that's just what Jamie does. Jamie has also written for outlets like SFX and the Sunday Times Culture, and appeared on podcasts exploring the wondrous worlds of occult and horror.