Honey Boo Boo inspired Kirsten Dunst's new show

Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Kirsten Dunst drew inspiration for her new show from an unlikely source -- Honey Boo Boo.

The star of Toddlers & Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo probably never will be nominated for an Emmy, but Dunst might be for her role on On Becoming a God in Central Florida, which premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. on Showtime.

What's the connection between the two individuals?

"For me, every character I approach, I work with someone and I kind of make my own witch's brew of this movie, this song," Dunst said. "This character, I did watch some Honey Boo Boo just to free myself up. Just to get a little more free in that way. There's so much rage within Krystal that I feel like I don't necessarily always get to express in characters but that I think us as women have a deep threshold."

Krystal (Dunst)'s husband (Alexander Skarsgard) loses all of their money in a multi-level marketing scheme. Desperate to save her family, Krystal takes on the very organization that ruined it. The world of Florida water parks and '90s era get-rich quick schemes screamed "Honey Boo Boo" to Dunst. The role also came to Dunst after she became a mother.

"I was so tired and we worked so hard," Dunst said. "But I was like Krystal's working so hard. She's so tired. You just kind of put everything you have into it and be the most emotionally vulnerable you can so that you connect with your audience and each other while working."

Krystal tried to warn her husband. She saw through the pyramid scheme. However, getting her revenge on the mastermind may involve becoming more like him.

"I think Krystal is going to become part of the problem in a major way," Dunst said. "So she's on the other side and I'm sure she'll have some fun answer for anyone who distrusts her."

In the film, set in 1992, Dunst wears braces, loud blouses and mom jeans.

"[I had] spray tans every Sunday," Dunst said. "I just wanted to look like I'd been out in the sun way too long. I do every Sunday, and I can't even touch my baby after because I'm going to put fake tan all over him."

Aside from the spray tan residue, Dunst leaves Krystal on the set. At least, she tries to.

"I definitely have times where my husband or someone will be like, 'That sounds like Krystal' or something like that," Dunst said.

Her husband, Jesse Plemons, played Dunst's on-screen husband in Season 2 of Fargo. They have not officially married, but clearly they consider each other spouses.

"We're definitely going to have a wedding, eventually, but probably small at home or something really intimate," Dunst said. "[It's a] priority, but you know how life is. You've got other little things, so it has to be a good time when we can all have fun."

Starring in a new TV show could potentially last several years, but Dunst welcomed the schedule going back to work.

"Doing this show too, it's so much easier to go back to work than it is to be a stay-at-home mom," Dunst said. "One-hundred percent.

As much as she enjoys the work, Dunst said she wouldn't abandon her family for just any job. It had to be worth it, and On Becoming a God in Central Florida proved to be.

"I feel like I've been in this industry for so long now, so for me, I have to have something that really inspires me to be taken away from my family." Dunst said. "So this was a role I knew that I could just let it all out there. I really worked so hard that I didn't care what anyone thought. I was just in my own world and I let loose."

On the show, the baby is a scene-stealing co-star. Dunst found out working with an actor baby is quite different than mothering your own.

"Actually, every episode we would get, I'd be like, 'We gotta have that baby in there. We gotta have that baby in there,'" she said. "I always thought about Raising Arizona and how well they used the baby because you should use it for comedy. We have this baby, but then there's that other side to it that you're worried about time. You only have the baby for this many hours. Is the baby happy? Let's get a shot of it."

When the baby was on its mark, Dunst drew on her real-life experience to get the shot.

"For me having a baby, I had a whole other perspective of babies on set and how to interact and all that stuff," Dunst said. "It was a totally new world for me, but also I felt more comfortable."

The Fargo job was always designed to be one season only. Each season of Fargo features different characters. On Becoming a God in Central Florida is intended to be long-running. It may take years for Krystal's plan to come to fruition.

"I wouldn't have signed on for this [if it didn't have potential]," Dunst said. "It's going to be so fun. I'm excited."