Kirsten Dunst's Career So Far

13 September 2014

The Two Faces of January

Child stars are a part of Hollywood lore, with audiences across the ages watching them grow up on screen to varying degrees of success; from Shirley Temple and Judy Garland to Jodie Foster and Natalie Portman.

However, there are few who have managed to redefine themselves as convincingly as Kirsten Dunst. Launched to fame as a disturbing child vampire, we have seen her dominate the teen market, as a blockbuster darling, an iconic indie muse, a French queen and most recently a Hitchcockian leading lady in The Two Faces Of January (released on DVD, Blu-Ray, and VOD on 15th September).

We take a look at some of the highlights of her career so far:

- Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Due to its strikingly disturbing nature, the role which launched her career is still one of her most memorable performances, even twenty years on.

Playing the cherubic, sausage-curled Claudia in Interview with the Vampire, an 11-year-old Dunst held her own opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt as the blood-thirsty woman trapped in a young girl’s body, earning her the MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance and a Golden Globe nomination.

The film also controversially featured a scene in which Dunst shared her first on-screen kiss with Pitt, who was eighteen years her senior.

- Little Women (1994)

In a role that utilized the adult qualities she brought to the screen in Interview with the Vampire, Dunst proved her acting talents went far beyond her 12 years when she starred alongside Winona Ryder, Clare Danes, and Susan Sarandon in Gillian Armstrong’s Little Women.

Merging the innocence of a young girl in love with the harsh realities that can come with life, Dunst was commended for her performance, winning the Young Artist Award and recognized at the Boston Film Festival that same year.

- Jumanji (1995)

Following on from her success the previous year, 1995 saw Dunst star alongside the late, great Robin Williams in the adaptation of the children’s fantasy adventure book, Jumanji.

Dunst, who played one of the main protagonists, Judy Shepherd, turned out a performance that seemed closer to her own age, reacting at first with hysteria and later with heroics as the madness stampedes, scuttles and slithers around her.

Yes there is adventure but there is also something truly magical about the friendship between Judy, her brother Peter, and Alan (Williams), united by their eternal search for childhood innocence lost too soon.

- The Virgin Suicides (1999)

A string of portfolio-building support roles followed as Dunst grew into a young woman, including her performance as provocative teen Lux Lisbon in Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides; a film which she later credited as the turning point in her personal life.

Noting that it was the first time a director wanted her to draw on her sexuality, 'to [be] the object of desire' was a whole new experience for her as an actor.

- Bring It On (2000)

Playing a high-school student newly appointed as head cheerleader, Dunst ironically managed to demonstrate her maturity as an actress, portraying the character with equal parts girlish charm, naiveté, and smart woman.

With the film going on to become a cult classic, Bring It On was, without doubt, a risk that paid off.

- Spider-Man trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007)

Riding on a wave of critical acclaim from her performance in Crazy Beautiful, 2002 saw Kirsten take on the iconic comic book role of Mary Jane Watson, the titular web-slinger’s love interest, in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.

Raimi initially wanted to cast actress Alicia Witt, but when Dunst learned that Tobey Maguire had been cast as the superhero she decided to audition, winning the role just one month before shooting.

For Dunst, one of the key aesthetic challenges to becoming Mary Jane was achieving the character’s famous red-headed look. In the trilogy’s first two installments hair for which she attained this with the help of multiple wigs, before finally giving in for the third film and dying her hair completely.

It may be partly due to the fact that many fans still consider Dunst the original Mary Jane that the character has yet to appear in the Amazing Spider-Man reboots, which instead feature first reserve Gwen Stacey as Peter Parker’s other half.

It remains to be seen if and how a new actress would play Mary Jane, now over 10 years after her first big screen incarnation.

- Marie-Antoinette (2006)

The sweeping costumes, fabulous jewellery, and gravity-defying hair almost took on a life of their own in this film which saw Dunst reunite with director Sofia Coppola.

These were daunting shoes to fill since the story of the notorious 18th century Queen of France is known by so many. Though Coppola herself admitted taking some liberties with the historical aspects of the story, the unashamed lavishness of the film cannot be denied.

The film quite rightly won an Academy Award for best Costume Design, and gave Dunst the chance to tackle one of her biggest acting challenges to date by delivering a shining performance, all without losing her head.

- Melancholia (2011)

Interview With The Vampire, The Virgin Suicides and Crazy Beautiful all clearly demonstrated that Dunst is not afraid of making eyebrow-raising acting choices.

Further proof of her range as an actress is shown through her portrayal of manic-depressive Justine in Lars von Triers’ Melancholia, which has become her most critically successful to date.

The film’s powerful imagery alongside Dunst’s impeccable performance (earning her the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival) is masterful.

At once serene, troubled and fierce, Dunst invokes a 21st century Ophelia, with a deep yet quiet despair exquisitely simmering beneath the surface.

- The Two Faces of January (2014)

Set against the backdrop of 1960s Greece, Dunst’s latest role perfectly demonstrates how far she has come as an actress over the past two decades.

In an industry where so many young stars have failed to break out of early-career typecasting, Dunst continues to surprise many with her film choices. In Hossein Amini’s directorial debut, Dunst as Colette MacFarland is scintillating.

At times cool and aloof, at others burning hot, there is something truly unexpected about Colette in every turn, raising more questions than answers about who she really is and the motives behind her actions. A masterfully intelligent performance.