Kirsten Dunst rose to worldwide recognition when she starred as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy from 2002 to 2007. She appeared alongside Tobey Maguire, who portrayed the character of Peter Parker, a.k.a., Spider-Man, in the movie. She later went on to appear in 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in a supporting role, followed by leading roles in movies like 2005’s Elizabethtown and Marie Antoinette in 2006.
The actress is regarded as one of the most talented in the entertainment industry. Her performances over the years have managed to impress critics as well as the audience, and she is now known for being one of the most admired performers. Ahead of the release of her latest movie, Civil War, Kirsten Dunst revealed something that surprised Marvel fans.
Kirsten Dunst reveals the reason she said yes to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy
In her recent cover story interview with Variety, actress Kirsten Dunst, who is gearing up for the release of her upcoming dystopian action movie Civil War, shared the reason why she said yes to starring as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy. She said,
“It was so innocent—the reasons I wanted to be in that film. The story lived within Sam in such a deep way that I needed to be a part of that feeling, I guess.”
Not only did the audience and critics love Tobey Maguire and Dunst’s impressive chemistry, but the actress also noted that the two of them had an instant connection, which helped during the filming of the movie. Kirsten Dunst, who is regarded as one of the most favorite adaptations of Mary Jane Watson for Spider-Man movies, shared that she has never bothered to watch any of the Marvel movies. She said,
“It’s just not my thing. But I did see Paw Patrol.”
…Why would she mention that? What’s the correlation?
— COMICLIFF (@BVLikesLinguica) April 5, 2024
Ardent Marvel movie fans took to their social media to react to the actress comparing the Marvel movie to Paw Patrol, starring Kim Kardashian, McKenna Grace, and more. A fan wrote, ‘Did she…just compare the MCU movies to Paw Patrol?’ While another user noted, ‘Why would she mention that? What’s the correlation?’
She just singlehandedly cooked marvel for grouping it with a children’s movie
— RSF (@GO0O0OO) April 5, 2024
did she… just compare the mcu movies to paw patrol?
— Not Your Husband (@AukaatMeinRaho) April 5, 2024
this may be the greatest press tour in the history of cinema
— ava 𖦹 ☼ (@grandescorsese) April 5, 2024
A fan mentioned that this statement from the actress may be the greatest press tour in the history of cinema.
Kirsten Dunst on never challenging being paid less than her male co-stars
During her interview with Variety, when asked about the success that came along with the movie’s release, the actress revealed that it could have been more than $17 million that the actor demanded from the studios to reprise his character.
Whereas compared to Maguire, Dunst said she was in her Bring It On phase and had a track record of starring in movies just for the sake of the character and the money that came along. The actress did not understand at the time the difference between her pay and her male co-star’s pay. Variety pointed out that this was a classic case showcasing that young women did not receive pay parity.
Dunst explained that when she was relatively new in the industry, and did not have the best guidance and noted that she did a couple of duds for money reasons. The actress mentioned that once she started to develop her taste for picking up roles she wanted to do, everything shifted. She mentioned,
“I get offered the most money on things I don’t want to do.”
However, the actress had admitted earlier in her interview with GQ that she would have happily returned to the Spider-Man universe if someone asked her. Tobey Maguire reprised his version of Spider-Man in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: No Way Home due to the movie’s multiverse storyline. Kirsten Dunst also added that actors should own up to the fact that getting good pay is often one of the motivating factors for taking up the superhero role.
Civil War is scheduled for release on April 12, 2024.
