Oscar nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee deconstructs twist ending, sexuality of 'Power of the Dog'

Spoiler alert! The following post discusses important plot points and the ending of Netflix's "The Power of the Dog."

Kodi Smit-McPhee remembers his first time reading "the twist."

The 25-year-old is the hypnotic scene-stealer of 1920s Western "The Power of the Dog" (streaming now on Netflix), for which he earned his first Oscar nomination for best supporting actor. Smit-McPhee plays the timid yet guileful Peter, a young man whose mother, Rose (Kirsten Dunst), is driven to alcoholism by a menacing rancher named Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Much to Rose's dismay, Peter strikes up a friendship with Phil that becomes sexually charged, as they open up and get vulnerable with each other. But Peter has ulterior motives, which are gradually revealed in the film's stunning third act.

Reading director Jane Campion's script, which she adapted from Thomas Savage's 1967 novel, "I was very shocked and slightly confused because I thought, 'Did I miss something?' " Smit-McPhee says. "It's this slow burn and then it just blindsides you. It was one of the first scripts that I went directly back to the beginning after I finished it. I absolutely love twists – it's like a different movie watching it again."

Review: Benedict Cumberbatch stuns as a cruel cowboy in 'The Power of the Dog'

Smit-McPhee has been acting professionally since he was 10, juggling independent dramas ("The Road," "Let Me In"), studio franchises ("X-Men," "Planet of the Apes") and flashy biopics ("Dolemite Is My Name," the upcoming "Elvis"). But "Power of the Dog" marks his most complex and critically acclaimed performance yet, earning him a Golden Globe for best supporting actor and nominations in the category at the upcoming Critics Choice and British Academy Film Awards.

He is neck and neck with Troy Kotsur ("CODA") to take the Oscar, after Kotsur's victory at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. It was there that the two actors finally got to meet in person, sharing "a lovely conversation and a big hug," Smit-McPhee recalls. "I'm very, very happy for him. He really deserves it."

'The Power of the Dog': Benedict Cumberbatch responds to 'very odd' criticism

Acting and 'adversity' are part of 'who I am,' Smit-McPhee says

Born in Adelaide, Australia, Smit-McPhee is the son of Andy McPhee, a former professional wrestler, who "caught the acting bug after doing a Burger King commercial and got me and my sister (Sianoa) into it at a young age." He has continued to work steadily ever since, in spite of debilitating health issues: At 16, Smit-McPhee was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a rare autoimmune disorder that causes chronic pain and vision impairment, and eventually leads the spine to fuse.

It's one reason why the Oscar nomination is so meaningful to him: "(Acting) has been a huge part of my life," Smit-McPhee says. "When I'm recognized for my job, I really feel like I'm being recognized for everything that I've gone through in my life and the adversity I've looked beyond and gotten through, thanks to the amazing team and family around me. So it's a nod not just to what I love doing, but who I am."

Smit-McPhee has long been drawn to characters who are "outcasts" and says he relates to each one he's played, "whether it's a teleporting mutant that has a tail (in 'X-Men') or someone like Peter, who wants to become a surgeon but has slightly psychopathic tendencies." In Peter, he was excited to portray someone who appears "weak and naive" at the outset, but "slowly reveals he's completely the opposite. All of that is somewhat just a facade."

Wanting to save his mother from Phil's viciousness, Peter gifts him anthrax-infected rawhide to braid rope, which kills Phil at the film's end. Smit-McPhee discovered subtle ways to telegraph Peter's murderous intentions to the audience: An erotic scene where Peter lights and holds Phil's cigarette becomes much less sensual when you realize that he won't touch Phil's wounded hand so not to infect himself. Earlier in the movie, Phil offers to mentor Peter before he goes back to medical school.

"It seems like Peter's falling for all of Phil's traps, but then at the end of the talk, he stands up and with a sinister smile says, 'Well, it won't be very long now, Phil,' " Smit-McPhee explains. "I thought it'd be a disservice to the character if I didn't play with the idea that he was telling him it wasn't long for his life."

But Smit-McPhee doesn't rule out that Peter might be attracted to Phil too.

"Peter is exploring his sexuality," he says. "Because he's been dealing with such a great sense of responsibility for his mother his whole life, he's never really gone out of his way to explore those sides of himself. Still, he has to sacrifice whoever or whatever to look after his mom."

'He's just a very humble, normal guy,' Kirsten Dunst says

Smit-McPhee and Dunst also crafted a backstory separate from the book and script, that Peter actually killed his father (and Rose's first husband) before the events of the movie. That dark truth informed both actors' performances.

"(We wanted) our own thing outside of the story: a fresh secret that would create this kind of Norman Bates bond with his mother," Smit-McPhee says. With Dunst's and Campion's support, "I got to make these risky decisions and choices in terms of character development and just feel completely confident about it. In many ways, this is the job I've been waiting for."

As a former child actor herself, Dunst recalls clicking "immediately" with Smit-McPhee, who spent time with the actress and her fiance, "Dog" co-star Jesse Plemons, when they weren't working.

"He's just a very humble, normal guy," Dunst says. Shooting in New Zealand, "he'd come over and hang out with our son. He was alone there, so we'd take him out to dinner and stuff. He's very open to share his pain and his stories, and I'm the same way, so it made acting very easy together."

They remain close even now: Dunst was one of the first people he FaceTimed on Oscar nominations morning.

"I called Kirsten and we had a little celebratory moment," Smit-McPhee says. This awards season, "I've really loved hanging with (her) and Jesse and Benedict, and just being present on this journey with them. It's cool."

First 'Elvis' trailer: Austin Butler explodes to life as Presley in Baz Luhrmann movie

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Power of the Dog': Kodi Smit-McPhee explains twist ending (spoilers)