Director Alex Garland’s chilling dystopian thriller Civil War is now in theaters and several notable stars play major roles in the film. But where else have moviegoers seen the cast member who plays the rookie photographer Jessie?

Civil War soared in preview screenings Thursday night with a $2.9 million take at the domestic box office. The film — which was produced by indie studio A24 — officially opens Friday in more than 2,900 theaters nationwide.

Set in a not-too-distant future where Americans are at war with each other after the country had divided into four separate regions, Civil War chronicles a group of journalists’ harrowing trek from New York City to Washington, D.C. The group’s goal is to interview and take photos of a dictatorial third-term president (Nick Offerman) before rebel forces can get to him in the White House.

Kirsten Dunst plays Lee Smith, a revered war photographer who teams with veteran reporters Joel (Wagner Moura) and Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) for the dangerous assignment. Also starring in the pivotal role of Jessie in Civil War is Cailee Spaeny, a young, inexperienced photographer whom Lee reluctantly allows to tag along on the group’s D.C. mission.

Spaeny has become a familiar face in Hollywood after starring in several high-profile projects in the past few years. Most recently, Spaeny played the lead role of Priscilla Presley opposite Jacob Elordi’s Elvis Presley in director Sofia Coppola’s 2023 biographical drama Priscilla.

Playing Priscilla Presley helped elevate Spaeny’s star during the 2023 movie awards season, as she earned a Best Actress in a Drama nomination from the Golden Globes and an Outstanding Lead Performance nomination from the Gotham Awards. The London Film Critics also named Spaeny their Breakthrough Performer of the Year.

What Else Has Spaeny Starred In?

Born July 24, 1998, in Springfield, Missouri, Callie Spaeny’s feature film debut came in a key role in the 2018 sci-fi thriller Pacific Rim: Uprising opposite John Boyega and Scott Eastwood.

Also in 2018, Spaeny starred in supporting roles in the films Bad Times at the El Royale, Vice and The Basis of Sex. In the latter, Spaeny played Jane Ginsburg — the daughter of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) — in a biopic about the late Supreme Court judge

Spaeny first worked with Civil War writer-director Alex Garland in 2020 on his streaming series Devs. The futuristic series also marked the first time Spaeny worked with her Civil War co-stars Nick Offerman and Stephen McKinley Henderson.

Also on television, Spaeny starred opposite Kate Winslet in a key role in the 2021 series Mare of Easttown. Additionally, Spaeny played Anna Eleanor Roosevelt— the daughter of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson) — in the 2022 series The First Lady.

This summer, Spaeny will venture to space — where no one can hear you scream — in one of the lead roles in the next Alien chapter Alien: Romulus, which is due in theaters on August 16.

Until then, audiences can see Spaeny in Civil War in theaters.

This tiny creature is a northern marsupial mole, a card-carrying member of one of the strangest landscapes on Earth.

The Western Deserts of Australia bristle, slither, and burrow with life; much of it unseen by the few passersby. The extreme aridity and heat have caused these animals to adapt in strange ways; few stranger than this marsupial mole which is seen just a few times every decade.

Small, blind, hairy, and shy, the marsupial moles carry their young around in a pouch like kangaroos, but burrow underground using their noses to make up for their lack of eyesight like moles.

“Some people’s first thought was, ‘Are these photos an April Fools’ Day joke?’” desert wildlife expert Gareth Catt told ABC News Down Under. “To see a close-up photo like this is really exciting—I’ve never seen one myself so I’m pretty jealous of the rangers!”

The rangers Mr. Catt is referring to are the Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ) Martu rangers, a group of Aboriginal conservationists who make their homes and their bread in the Western Deserts in the state of Western Australia.

Documenting wildlife, implementing conservation strategies, performing fire management, and other activities, the KJ are like custodians of the Outback.

The wildlife living in the deserts of Australia are as odd as the fish and invertebrates of the deep ocean are odd when compared with those in shallow seas. The most charismatic must be the thorny devil (Moloch horridus.)

This small lizard may look impenetrable with its bristling spikes, but its skin is actually hydrophilic, meaning that if any part of it touches moisture—dew for example—it can be absorbed into the body without the lizard requiring to drink it.

But this thirsty-skinned lizard is nothing compared to the powers of the “water holding frog” (Cyclorana platycephala) which can go 5 years without ever drinking water. Aborigines will actually dig up this frog, gently squeeze it, and drink the water excreted from its skin before putting it back, or carrying it with them to the next watering hole, as the unwelcome theft of their water will most likely prove fatal to this amphibian in the dry season.

MORE AUSSIE ODDITIES: Woylies Are the Ecosystem Engineers of Australia–Critically Endangered but They’re Making a Comeback

Aside from these oddities, there are beautiful birds like the Galah, or rose-breasted cockatoo, and the blindingly iridescent scarlet-chested parrot, and even a tiny species of freshwater, desert-dwelling fish, which itself sounds like a contradiciton, called a gobby.

As for the marsupial mole, part of Mr. Catt and the rangers’ work in the deserts includes monitoring populations to see how they are coping. There are reasons to suggest that rainfall and temperature patterns are making desert life more difficult for some animals, and though many are not even threatened with extinction, signs of population decline need to be carefully monitored.

For a tiny recluse like the northern marsupial mole, this sees the KJ rangers hiking up and down sand dunes until they spot the tell-tale traces of a mole’s rare above-ground excursions. Once located, they will dig a trench to look for holes and log any they find in a central database.

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In this way they can keep track of where the population is dispersed and how densely they inhabit the areas where they are found.

“The monitoring by Aboriginal ranger groups is really important, especially as desert species are being impacted by rainfall and temperature patterns changing due to climate change,” Mr. Catt said.

SHARE These Wild And Wonderful Critters With Your Friends… 

Looking for a fun photography activity for the weekend? How about improving your photography skills and refilling your creative juices with another challenge from the folks of SlickPic? Now on the week 15 of their 52-week Photo Challenge, it’s all about Macro photography.

In this challenge, your task is to explore the world of the small and capture the scenes and subjects in their full, glorious details. Apart from getting up close to tiny critters, this technique also encourages you to keep an eye out for interesting textures, shapes and elements that typically go unnoticed. You’re only limited by your creativity and curiosity!

Interested in this challenge? It’s time to not only bust out those macro lenses, accessories and lighting, but also brush up on the right macro tricks and techniques. For starters, we suggest checking out our guide on exploring tiny worlds with macro photography.

In case you’re just joining, we also encourage you to check out the full info on the 52-week Challenge.

Photography challenge details

• Submissions will be accepted until the end of the day on April 14, 2024. So, if you’re in the mood to flex your creative muscles, there’s still plenty of time to make something nice!
• Submit 3 images by clicking this link
• Please submit images in JPEG format. Uploading photos that are at least 2500 px on the long side is recommended for the highest quality.

Once you submit your photos, you can review them here: https://52weekchallenge.slickpic.com

As always, you can ask your friends to join the challenge as well by clicking on the Share button for the album and inviting them to join in. Of course, you can also encourage them to Like and Comment on your submissions!

“Fifi and Faustino” by Jane Goodall. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

On April 3, renowned primatologist Jane Goodall turned 90 years old. Dr. Goodall has inspired generations of people who are passionate about wildlife conservation and our planet. From her groundbreaking studies of chimpanzees to her philanthropic work and activism related to animals, Dr. Goodall is a force of nature.

To celebrate her birthday and her place as a woman-inspired change, the female-led non-profit Vital Impacts is holding a special photography sale—The Nature of Hope: 90 Women Photographers for Jane Goodall. For the next three months, Vital Impacts is selling fine-art photography from female photographers inspired by Dr. Goodall’s legacy. According to the organization, “60% of proceeds will directly support the Jane Goodall Institute’s global efforts, continuing Dr. Goodall’s mission of science-based conservation and youth empowerment within communities worldwide.” The remaining proceeds will go directly toward the artists.

Among the 90 prints available are photographs by Dr. Goodall herself. Two of the images focus on the familial relationships of chimpanzees and speak to her ability to make these primates feel comfortable with her presence. The other is a stunning self-portrait taken around 1962, early in research at Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park. Viewed now, it’s a beautiful documentation of a young woman diving into her professional passion and getting ready to take on the world.

But Dr. Goodall’s photographs aren’t the only spectacular images available. This incredible collection of conservation and landscape photography is a feast for the eyes, with work by well-known names such as Cristina Mittermeier, Ami Vitale, Beth Moon, and Karine Aigner.

So, if you are looking for a piece of art to add to your collection and want to know that doing so will also help the environment, the sale—which runs until July 2—is worth a look.

Non-profit Vital Impacts is holding a special sale to celebrate the 90th birthday of renowned primatologist and conservation activist Dr. Jane Goodall.

“Jou Jou and Dr. Jane Goodall, Brazzaville Zoo, Republic of Congo, 1990” by Michael “Nick” Nichols. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

The photography sale will benefit the Jane Goodall Foundation and include images from Dr. Goodall herself.

“Self Portrait” by Jane Goodall. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

Inspired by Dr. Goodall’s legacy, the female photographers featured in the sale are incredible talents.

“Giraffes” by Marina Cano. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“The Hug” by Daisy Gilardini. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Back to the Wild” by Ami Vitale. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Submergence” by Michaela Skovranova. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

The sale will run until July 2, 2024, so don’t wait long to shop.

“King of the Arctic” by Melissa Schäfer. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“The Big Buzz Bee Ball” by Karine Aigner. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“The Feast” by Cristina Mittermeier. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Barn Owl X” by Beth Moon. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Love at South Georgia” by Malin Hanning. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Balance” by Sapna Reddy. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Snow Geese” by Melissa Groo. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Caribou at Anaktuvuk Pass” by Katie Orlinsky. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Princess of Tundra” by Evgenia Arbugaeva. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Brenda and Her Mother” by Luisa Dörr. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Dusk Bloom” by Tamara Dean. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Aerial Battle” by Kathryn Cooper. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

“Heinabergsjökull Glacier” by Deanne Fitzmaurice. Courtesy of Vital Impacts.

Vital Impacts: Website | Instagram | Facebook

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Vital Impacts.

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