Kirsten Dunst in London on March 26, 2024.Photo:Karwai Tang/WireImage
Karwai Tang/WireImage
Kirsten Dunstis opening up about pay disparity early on in her career.
TheCivil Warstar — who had her big-screen breakout as a child actress in 1994’sInterview with the Vampire— told theBBCin an interview published Tuesday night that she “didn’t even think to ask” about equal pay near the beginning of her professional life.
And while she hopes that “the way I carved my path will help other actresses,” the 41-year-old said that she “definitely grew up in a time with major pay disparity between the lead actor and myself, even though I had been inBring It Onand he hadn’t, you know what I mean?”
“I had more success in my box office than he did,” she continued, without naming anyone specific. “And I was 17. I’m still learning. When you’re that age, I’m still learning my taste in film.”
“I didn’t even know there was a place to challenge [the pay disparity]. That’s how it felt at 17,” Dunst added to the outlet.
Kirsten Dunst in, from L:Interview with the Vampire(1994),Jumanji(1995) andMarie Antoinette(2006).Geffen/Kobal/Shutterstock; Columbia TriStar/courtesy Everett Collection; Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Geffen/Kobal/Shutterstock; Columbia TriStar/courtesy Everett Collection; Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Despite her chosen profession, though, Dunst told the BBC that making movies isn’t “supposed to be fun,” and in fact can be quite the opposite at times.
“You don’t make movies to have fun. They’re often not,” she said, laughing. “It’s not a fun experience. I’m not in it to have fun. I’m in it to give myself in the most honest, functioning way for my role.”
Kirsten Dunst at a special screening ofCivil Warin Los Angeles on April 2, 2024.VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
Back in November 2021, Dunst revealed toThe Independentthat she and Maguire, 48, had a sharp divide in compensation for their work on the firstSpider-Manfilm.
“The pay disparity between me and Spider-Man was very extreme,” said the actress, who played Mary Jane Watson inSpider-Manand its two sequels, released in 2004 and 2007. “I didn’t even think about it. I was just like, ‘Oh yeah, Tobey [Maguire] is playing Spider-Man.’ "
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The firstSpider-Manfilm pulled in $821 million and its sequel,Spider-Man 2, brought in $789 million, according toThe Independent. And while the movies were a hit at the box office, Dunst saidshe did not receive the same pay as Maguire, despite being equally promoted for the film.
“You know who was on the cover of the secondSpider-Manposter? Spider-Man and ME,” she told the outlet at the time.
Civil Waris in theaters April 12.
source: people.com
