profesi

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 ...