She stated that kissing him had made her feel uncomfortable: "I thought it was gross, that Brad had cooties. The film included a scene in which Dunst shared her first onscreen kiss with Pitt, who is nearly two decades her senior. She played Claudia, the child vampire who is a surrogate daughter to Cruise's and Pitt's characters. 1994–2001: Breakthrough ĭunst's breakthrough role came in 1994, in the horror drama Interview with the Vampire opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, based on Anne Rice's novel of the same name. In 1993, Dunst made a guest appearance in an episode of the science fiction drama Star Trek: The Next Generation. Soon after, Dunst performed in the comedy-drama The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), based on Tom Wolfe's novel of the same name, in which she played the daughter of Tom Hanks' character. Later that year, she made her feature film debut with a minor role in Woody Allen's short film Oedipus Wrecks it was released as one-third of the anthology film New York Stories (1989). In 1988, she appeared in Saturday Night Live as the granddaughter of George H.W. She was signed with Ford Models and Elite Model Management. Career 1988–1993: Early work ĭunst began her career at age three as a child fashion model in television commercials. I don't think anybody can sit around and say, 'My life is more screwed up than yours.' Everybody has their issues". When asked if she had any regrets about her childhood, Dunst said, "Well, it's not a natural way to grow up, but it's the way I grew up and I wouldn't change it. However, she later said that her mother "always had the best intentions". In her teens, she found it difficult to cope with her rising fame, and for a period she blamed her mother for pushing her into acting as a child. After graduating from Notre Dame High School in 2000, Dunst continued acting. In 1993, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother and brother, after her parents separated. Until age eleven, Dunst lived in Brick Township, New Jersey, and attended Ranney School in Tinton Falls. Dunst's father is German, originally from Hamburg, and her American mother is of German and Swedish descent. She was also an artist and one-time gallery owner. Dunst's father worked for Siemens as a medical services executive, and her mother worked for Lufthansa as a flight attendant.
She then had a supporting role in the film Hidden Figures (2016), and leading roles in The Beguiled (2017) and the black comedy series On Becoming a God in Central Florida (2019), for which she received a third Golden Globe nomination. In 2015, she played Peggy Blumquist in the second season of the FX series Fargo, which earned Dunst a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2011, Dunst starred as a depressed newlywed in Lars von Trier's science fiction drama Melancholia, which earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Her career progressed with a supporting role in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), followed by a lead role in Cameron Crowe's tragicomedy Elizabethtown (2005), and as the title character in Coppola's Marie Antoinette (2006). She gained further wide attention for her role as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man (2002), and its sequels Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).
In 2000, she starred in the lead role in the cheerleading film Bring It On, which has become a cult classic. In the late 1990s, Dunst transitioned to leading roles in a number of teen films, including the political satire Dick (1999) and the Sofia Coppola-directed drama The Virgin Suicides (1999). She also had roles in her youth in Little Women (1994) and the fantasy films Jumanji (1995) and Small Soldiers (1998). She then gained recognition for her role as child vampiress Claudia in the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
She made her acting debut in the short Oedipus Wrecks directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film New York Stories (1989). She has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golden Globe Awards. Kirsten Caroline Dunst ( / ˈ k ɪər s t ən/ born April 30, 1982) is an American actress.