Kirsten Dunst

Seen in Spider-Man 3

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Read Tobey Maguire Interview

Kirsten Dunst has had a long career already. But her first break came as the vicious baby-faced 200 year-old vampire Claudia in Interview With a Vampire (1994) when she was but eleven.

These days the bombshell is all about mixing indie films with blockbusters; moxie and money. As Spider-Man’s M.J. she has become a true movie-star.

The beauty talks about her role in what the studio is saying is the finale to the franchise Spider-Man 3 (which I suspect it will be like the final Rolling Stone’s concert…three or four concerts ago).
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Let’s start with what the fans really wanna know. Is this the end of your experience with M.J., or do you see yourself doing 4-6?

Dunst: This is definitely the end to this trilogy. We’ve closed this chapter.

Okay. What if Sam Raimi [director] decides to come back but Tobey Maguire doesn’t, would you do Spider-Man 4?

Dunst: No I wouldn’t.

Is that because you think your M.J. should be with Tobey’s Spiderman?

Dunst: Right. Hands down, yes.

In Spider-Man 3, were will the audience find M.J. in her life here?

Dunst: On this one, they’re finally together and she is successful in what she’s doing, and he’s been embraced by the city of New York and getting all these accolades. It’s blown his head up a little bit. Slowly, we start to unravel Mary Jane, their relationship—they’re already ignoring things within that—it doesn’t help that he takes on this other darkness that envelopes his character, and brings out all the things he’s not dealing with in his life all his anger really heightens that.

Do you think M.J. ever goes “over the top?”

Dunst: You’re in fantastical situations, but I hope I didn’t. Did I? It gets sticky when you get to the blue-screen stuff; I just forgive myself for bad acting when it comes to those things. If I’m good in that, it’s just incredible, because those things are hard to do. I had no idea what was going to be in the film. And some of those lines are hard to pull off too.

How different has M.J. become? How different is Kristen doing six years of Spider-Man

Dunst: Well, for me, I think on the first movie I was so much younger, impressionable and insecure so I didn’t have the confidence that I have as an actress today. I cared what people thought and I was performing more for other people instead of myself. We’ve grown up.

MJ’s career is spiraling while Peter’s is taking off. Have you seen that in Hollywood?

Dunst: I’ve always been supportive of whoever I’m with in their job and I’ve never felt threatened. I can understand when the other person doesn’t make you as confident in yourself. It has to do with how you feel about yourself.

Why is Spider-Man so successful?

Dunst: I know why: we never rested on our laurels. We are all passionate for this franchise. Of course, it’s about box office for the studio at the end of the day, but we don’t want to produce just to produce.

Why does the public respond?

Dunst: Spiderman is every man. If he can be a hero, you can be a hero. It’s always had very relatable story lines in this fantastical world, yet Sam manages to ground it with the people he’s cast. That’s always attracted interesting actors to play our villains. It’s an international story. Who can’t relate to falling in love? Getting into fights with your best friend? Or feeling like your work is killing you? That’s why.

Are you pining for a super hero role of your own?

Dunst: Honestly, I have absolutely no interest in being a superhero. I got to throw a cinderblock in this one, which was fine. That’s enough action for me. If I were to do any superhero-esque film, I’d do some werewolf, avant-garde in-the-streets-of Paris or something. Remember that movie with the vampire.

What about the Barbarella remake?

Dunst: No! (laughs) I don’t want to wear that outfit. I don’t want to even think about wearing a bikini through an entire film.

Is there anything in real life you do for action or thrills?

Dunst: I love to travel and going to new places. I like going to Sunday night dinner. I’m not an extreme sports person.

Who brings out that fan in you?

Dunst: Joni Mitchell. But I wouldn’t scream in her face. Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep. Barack Obama, I’ve got a real crush on him. Jon Stewart.

What do you like about Barack?

Dunst: He’s such a dashing … I love that he lays it on the table. He wrote a book, here you go. He’s everything you want a president to be, I think.

Is there some role you want to do?

Dunst: Yeah. I really want to make a Roman Polanski-esque “Repulsion” or “Rosemary’s Baby.” But there’s nobody making those movies. If I had one dream director it would be Roman Polanski.

Ever a time when the acting became a different thing for you?

Dunst: When I was younger I worked with an acting coach, but how else are you going to do “Interview with the Vampire?” You can’t do that on instincts. He helped me make things seem different and seem OK when maybe they were scarier to do. I was up for it. I wanted to do it at that age. I enjoyed it; I had a great time on that film but then I definitely have had transitions in my life where not every child actress becomes an adult actor.. Virgin Suicides was big for me because it showed me in a light where I was a young girl having these other emotions, not just being the cute kid. Sofia [Coppola] did that in such a poetic way that that opened many doors for me. Marie Antoinette was huge for me. Acting has changed for me. My barometer has changed for what I want to do, who I want to work with. You spend a lot of time with people working on films. I want to work with good people who I can learn from who are nice people. There are so many different personalities in this business.

Does your celebrity make it difficult for guys to ask you out on a date?

Dunst: Oh, completely. I’d stay away from somebody (who’s a celebrity). Who wants to be part of that with the pictures. I live a normal life but occasionally there’s stuff that’s not so fun to deal with. Then that person’s not meant for me. I need somebody who can deal with all the aspects of who I am.

Has the self-confidence you’ve gained in making the Spider-Man films helped you assert yourself in other films?

Dunst: This film didn’t give me self-confidence. I gave myself self-confidence. I worked on myself as a human being. Films, money, all those things give you nothing; you’ve got to give it to yourself. I worked on myself.

If you have a problem, do you speak up?

Dunst: Completely. I’m very opinionated. (She laughs.)

Are you going to play Debbie Harry?

Dunst: Yeah, but it’s too early to talk about it.

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