Kirsten Dunst

Interview By: Benjamin Lee BenjaminLee@TheCinemaSource.com

Managing to graduate from a mere love interest to an integral part of the story, Kirsten Dunst returns for the third, and possibly final, part of the superhero series that has become a box-office behemoth for the 21st century.

The New Jersey native has been acting for 18 of her 25 years now, first breaking out in the 1994 thriller Interview with a Vampire before finally coming of age in the 1999 drama The Virgin Suicides. Her adult career has also included Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Marie Antoinette and Elizabethtown, although her defining mark will forever be her work in the Spider-Man trilogy.

What differentiates her Mary-Jane character, going through yet more relationship crises with Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3, from for example Katie Holmes in Batman Begins is her importance to the overall story. It may well be the reason why the Spidey movies have transcended in a way that no other superhero franchise ever has. Dunst admits that it’s the filmmakers refusal to turn it into just another love interest role that keeps bringing her back.

‘Its always been important for Sam [Raimi] and I to make Mary-Jane a brave character,’ she tells. ‘Obviously I have the damsel in distress card which just comes with the job but then we also wanted her to have a career and to be doing things and be a little active in this one. I mean I got to throw a cinder block which was exciting!’ It’s the action side of things though that Dunst tends to be less interested in. ‘I’ve been very familiar with it now and it’s not my favorite aspect of making these films,’ she confesses.

In Spider-Man 3, we see Mary Jane’s career as a Broadway actress take off and get to see Dunst sing for real. ‘I was just happy that Mary Jane finally got a gig!’ she laughs. ‘It was fun. I had to pre-record it so I had to lip-synch. I’ve sang before in films so it wasn’t new.’ In the film however we see Mary-Jane get some terrible notices for her performance. It’s something Dunst can identify with. ‘I can relate to those feelings because I’ve

had them before,’ she admits. ‘But I’m in a place now where I really don’t care.’

She has every right not to care anymore. Third time round she’s triple the star she once was. However her status as one of Hollywood’s leading ladies hasn’t changed her down-to-earth attitude when it comes to returning to the fold. ‘Well this is just like coming back to a family who just keeps getting to know you better,’ she informs. ‘So for me I’ve always looked forward to making these films. When I know they’re coming around, it’s a nice safety net in a way.’ It’s the relationship with director Sam Raimi that Dunst looks forward to reinvigorating each time.

‘I appreciate Sam so much as a person and a filmmaker,’ she gushes. ‘He comes from a very independent spirited mind and he’s never lost that. He’s the most collaborative director I’ve ever worked with. I’ve never heard his voice raise except to say action. We wanna do other things together as well. I’m so happy to have him as a friend and a mentor.’ The third chapter also sees some newbies (Bryce Dallas Howard, Topher Grace and Thomas Haden Church) join the family. ‘We get excited when we get these incredible actors who want to be a part of our movie,’ Dunst explains. ‘It just brings such a freshness. For us it’s such an honor.’

When it comes to trying to explain the success of the Spider-Man movies, Dunst believes it’s a humanity imbedded within the characters that define them. ‘I think we have a very human thing in our films,’ she states. ‘Comic books have always been very religious to me in the way they are portrayed and the visuals. Especially in our films it’s all very religious. It’s based around good and evil.’

It’s a project that the industry has buzzing about for a while. Kirsten Dunst taking on the role of Debbie Harry in an upcoming biopic about the Blondie star. Although she remains tight-lipped about it, she still admits she’s tempted. ‘I talked To Debbie and I think she’s the coolest woman in the world,’ she confessed. ‘I know that I have a lot of responsibility with that. I would never even attempt to take this

on if I didn’t think that I could do it.’ It’s also important for Dunst not to become complacent in her new status as a leading lady and remember to give something back. ‘I really respect Brad Pitt for taking a small role in a film like Babel,’ she says. ‘It’s important for actors to be responsible for what they put out there and the stories they tell. You can do a lot with that and need to use your power wisely.’

With great power, indeed comes great responsibility. Dunst isn’t sticking to the action arena for long and is instead spreading her talents to the comedy arena with a film I’m personally rather excited about. It’s an adaptation of the hilarious novel How to Lose Friends and Alienate People and she’ll be starring alongside the excellent Simon Pegg. The film is shooting this summer in London and Dunst can’t wait. ‘I love London and they love us there,’ she believes. ‘I like the pubs, I like the Guinness and the shopping and their humor. They’re so much more relaxed over there than they are here!’

Now the words on everybody’s lips….Spider-Man 4. ‘Oh we’ve thought about it,’ she confirms. ‘I think the only way we’d come back together was if it was me, Tobey and Sam. Our team.’