Natalie Portman, although a wonderful actress and human being, stirred up quite a controversy when she decided to don a custom-made Dior dress to the Oscars in 2020 which had all the names of the female directors who were ‘snubbed’ at the awards. While some praised the actress for taking a stand and being a ‘feminist champion’ others, mostly her industry peers, were brutal.
Numerous fans and celebrities criticized the actress for wearing such a dress instead of choosing to work with female directors and employing female directors in her production company. While the controversy keeps coming back every few years, Spider-Man actress Kirsten Dunst emerges as a beacon of light and a true champion for doing what other actors claim is almost impossible, working with female directors.
Natalie Portman Could Never Do What Kirsten Dunst Did
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Natalie Portman has been for long criticized for calling herself a feminist yet not being able to work with female directors or having female directors other than herself in her production company. In recent years ever since her dress controversy and comments about trying to work with more female directors, the actress has only worked with male directors (via Variety).
However, Kirsten Dunst on the other hand, in her impressive decades-long career, has worked with loads of female directors over and over again. While Portman only has a handful of collaborations with female directors, the Spider-Man star Dunst has spent half of her time working with female directors, both emerging and old.
Dunst’s collaboration with female directors includes:
– Marie Antoinette (2006) – Sofia Coppola
– The Virgin Suicides (1999) – Sofia Coppola
– The Power of the Dog (2021) – Jane Campion
– Little Women (1994) – Gillian Armstrong
– The Beguiled (2017) – Sofia Coppola
– Bachelorette (2012) – Leslye Headland
– The Devil’s Arithmetic (1999) – Donna Deitch
– Woodshock (2017) – Laura Mulleavy and Kate Mulleavy
– True Heart (1997) – Catherine Cyran
– All I Wanna Do (1998) – Sarah Kernochan
– The Bling Ring (2013) – Sofia Coppola
– Bring It On: Cheer or Die (2022)- Karen Lam
– Deeply (2000) – Sheri Elwood
Thus, while other actors and actresses complain about not having enough female directors in Hollywood to work with, Dunst proves that where there is a will, there will always be a way.
Kirsten Dunst Believes One Needs To Put In Effort For Working With Female Directors
Back in 2016, The Hollywood Reporter gathered esteemed actress for a Roundtable. While talking about opportunities and working with female directors, many actress complained about the lack of female directors in Hollywood and how they have had trouble working with them.
Kirsten Dunst however, shut everyone down by revealing the many directors she has worked with in her long career and stated,
“I’ve worked with so many female directors. But I think because I have really strong female relationships. Little Women was a female director… And I think it’s up to us as actresses to give the opportunity to first-time directors. You just got to find it, and then create it for yourself.”
Well, that is why Kirsten Dunst remains a league of her own, creating and providing opportunities to female directors while others keep complaining about their lack of.
