Kirsten Dunst's Spider-Man Set Nickname Made Her Uncomfortable

Kirsten Dunst has come a long way since her time as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man trilogy — these days, she's an Oscar-nominated indie darling. However, the actor maintains that her swing into stardom wasn't all rainbows and sunshine.

Speaking to interviewer Michelle Ruiz for Marie Claire, Dunst touched on how she's been developing her personal acting craft for years after feeling like the work she did in her early 20s was less than authentic—presumably including her role as Mary Jane Watson—and as a result, she feels much more comfortable on film sets now. That wasn't always the case, and Ruiz says that Dunst lowered her voice to reveal that the crew on "Spider-Man" sometimes called her "girly-girl."

"It was a joke, but on 'Spider-Man,' they would call me 'girly-girl' sometimes on the walkie-talkie. 'We need girly-girl' — but I never said anything." Ruiz says that Dunst interjected, "Like, don't call me that," before reorganizing her thoughts and continuing, saying that she didn't stick up for herself because she was young and intimidated on set. "You didn't say anything," Dunst said. "You just took it."

It's notable, in the wake of these comments, that Kirsten Dunst strayed away from superhero flicks and started working with acclaimed independent directors after her work in the original "Spider-Man" movies. Why? It just felt right to her as an artist at the time. "That's great for some people," Dunst said in regards to actors latching on to blockbuster franchises. "It's not the artist that I want to be."

Dunst started making bold moves while Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy was nearing the finish line, signing on to films like "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and leading Sofia Coppola's daring 2005 biopic "Marie Antoinette" before the third "Spider-Man" film released in 2007. A few years after finishing up her run as Mary Jane Watson, she took a huge artistic risk and teamed up with the divisive director Lars von Trier, leading his film "Melancholia."

"I didn't go do a bunch of romantic comedies," Dunst explained. "It was just growing up, and migrating to things that spoke to me." Pressed again by Michelle Ruiz, Dunst clarified, "I always just navigated with my heart."

These days, it seems as if Dunst is a bit more pragmatic regarding her roles. Certainly, she's still "navigating with her heart." Still, when asked if she would return to the superhero genre, the Oscar nominee was unequivocal: "Yes, because you get paid a lot of money, and I have two children, and I support my mother."

Kirsten Dunst did take some time off from acting after appearing in Jane Campion's Oscar-winning film "The Power of the Dog" in 2021, where she played struggling mother Rose Gordon (which earned her an Oscar nod). Why is that? As she told Michelle Ruiz, the offers she got after "The Power of the Dog" sort of pigeon-holed her: "Every role I was being offered was the sad mom." This is patently ridiculous; if nothing else, Dunst has proven, throughout her entire career, that she can play just about any role, whether she's a young and hapless queen of France ("Marie Antoinette"), an uptight workaholic trying to keep a group of bridesmaids in check (the deeply underrated "Bachelorette"), or, on the small-screen, a scamming water park employee ("On Being a God in Central Florida").

Now, Dunst is promoting her newest film, "Civil War," a concept from the twisted mind of writer-director Alex Garland ("Annihilation," "Ex Machina"). Dunst plays Lee, a reporter on the ground as civil war breaks out in the United States — specifically, between the government itself and a coalition formed between Texas and California. During her interview with Ruiz, she told the real-life reporter that "Civil War" was a direct response to all of her "sad mom" offers — so audiences can certainly expect a typically bold performance from her in the film. (Plus, Dunst gets to work with her real-life partner Jesse Plemons, which can't hurt.)

"Civil War" — a movie Looper predicts will blow fans away — will debut at South by Southwest on March 14 and arrive in theaters one month later.