Kirsten Dunst, the luminary actress who has brilliantly transitioned from a child star into a beacon of indie and mainstream cinema, is headed back to cinemas after a two-year acting hiatus. Her next project is the upcoming A24 movie Civil War, a thriller from visionary Alex Garland. In a recent interview ahead of her new movie's release, the Melancholia star opened up about her experiences on the set of the iconic Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, specifically an onset “joke” that made her feel uncomfortable.
The Oscar-nominated actress recently gave a career-spanning interview with our sister site Marie Claire, where she opened up about her time in the superhero genre. Dunst shared her experience of playing Peggy in season 2 of FX’s acclaimed series Fargo and discussed the level of confidence she brought to her character. But she admits that she didn't always have this confidence. Dunst opened up about a particular incident that occurred on the set of Spidey, where she didn't speak up for herself. As she tells it:
I mean… It was a joke, but on Spider-Man, they would call me 'girly-girl' sometimes on the walkie-talkie. 'We need girly-girl,’ but I never said anything. Like, don't call me that. You didn't say anything. You just took it.
It's hard to believe that a situation like what occurred to Kirsten on the set of Spider-Man, joke or not, would happen today post-MeToo or on a set filled with women in key positions. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind actress expressed her deep appreciation for the female directors she has worked with over the years, highlighting her experiences with pioneers like Gillian Armstrong, who directed Little Women in 1994. She continued:
I saw the power in women very young. I think that's helped with...not needing male attention in my career.
The Jumanji veteran attributes her independence from seeking male approval in her career to these early influences. She deliberately chose to work with female directors such as Sofia Coppola, Leslye Headland, and Jane Campion, as she knows the industry's biases and how male directors may perceive her appearance. Dunst has been proactive in shaping her career path to overcome these obstacles. She shared how she told her manager:
‘I feel like I get hired because I'm someone that they might want to sleep with.’ I think that's probably why I migrated to so many female directors at a younger age, because I didn't want to feel that way.
Civil War sees Kirsten Dunst again sharing the screen with her husband, Jesse Plemons. Their on-screen partnership traces back to Fargo and continued through their critically acclaimed performance in one of the best recent Western films, The Power of the Dog (2021), which earned an Oscar nomination and is available to stream with a Netflix subscription In the A24 thriller, The Interview with the Vampire alum portrays a determined journalist navigating the perils of a Second Civil War, striving to convey the truth of the unfolding chaos to the public. The film's trailer hints at Plemons taking on the role of a formidable military figure, marking a departure from their previous collaborations. While the real-life couple won't depict their off-screen romance in this dystopian setting, their proven chemistry suggests their performances will be as compelling as their last collaborations.
Civil War hits the 2024 movie is schedule on April 12. While Dunst may not be joining any upcoming superhero movies, you can catch her turn as Mary Jane in the original Spidey trilogy, which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription.
