Do you ever wonder if actors care about awards season? Most play it off, talking about how it’s the project they were really passionate about. Some (cough Leo DiCaprio) use their precious moment on stage with their golden trophies to highlight other important global issues. They don’t want to make it about them to the public, but being awarded by your industry still holds a higher regard for them than they would like us to believe.
Enter Kirsten Dunst. The 37-year-old actress just got candid on SiriusXM’s "In Depth with Larry Flick” where she discussed her disappointment about being overlooked by Hollywood. In her words:
I’ve never been nominated for anything. Maybe like twice for a Golden Globe when I was little and one for Fargo. Maybe they just think I’m the girl from Bring It On.
The actress got candid about her career on the podcast while promoting her new Showtime series On Becoming a God in Central Florida. She was asked about the first time she felt the power of her storytelling and she explained how she’s weirdly never felt it. Dunst explained how she’s had a number of disappointments throughout her career. She continued with:
Well, remember when Marie Antoinette — y'all panned it? And now you all love it. Remember Drop Dead Gorgeous? Panned. Now you all love it. It's, like, interesting for me. I feel like a lot of things I do people like later.
Sounds like instant gratification isn’t a luxury the actress has been blessed with throughout her 30-year career. She started off as a child actress in projects such as Interview with the Vampire alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise and Jumanji starring Robin Williams before moving to memorable projects in her teens such as The Virgin Suicides, Drop Dead Gorgeous and cult-classic Bring It On. She earned mega fame once she was cast as Mary Jane in the first Spider-Man movies starring Tobey Maguire. But she hasn’t brushed paths with Oscar glory.
While some actors enjoy popularity for their projects immediately after its release, Kirsten Dunst has noticed a lot of her work has slowly marinated with audiences before it reached acclaim. She worries her Hollywood peers associate her too much with her teen comedy Bring It On, hurting her chances for award recognition.
The actress was recognized quite early in her career for a Golden Globe. At the 1994 award show, Dunst shared the same nomination with Uma Thurman’s iconic Pulp Fiction role and Robin Wright’s supporting role in Forrest Gump that ended up going to Dianne Wiest for Bullets over Broadway. Kirsten Dunst has also been nominated for her role in FX’s Fargo, but Lady Gaga’s American Horror Story role dazzled that season.
It goes to show the strange game awards season can be. Dunst does clarify her comments with these words:
I know that all you have is your work at the end of the day and that’s all people really care about. I’m intelligent enough to know that and have perspective. But sometimes you’re like ‘Mmm. I’d be nice to be recognized by your peers.’
The actress has had an illustrious career that some could only dream of. She’s worked with some incredible filmmakers, actors and managed to break the “child actor curse” often plagued by those who find the spotlight early in life. There’s tons of incredible actors who never get recognized by the Academy and such. So, don’t sweat is Kirsten Dunst. You’re doing great!
