Kirsten Dunst has spoken out about the darker side of Hollywood.
The actress, 41, began her career in showbusiness when she was cast in Interview with the Vampire at the age of 11.
In a new interview, Kirsten recalled one particular incident where an unnamed male director asked her a ‘totally inappropriate’ question when she was alone in his office aged 16 to discuss a sought-after role.
She said she confided in her mother Inez Rupprecht about the ‘out of the blue’ comment, who swiftly withdrew her from the project.
‘I was only able to avoid that predatory side of the business because wherever I went, my mother was literally always right there,’ Kirsten told The Telegraph.
Kirsten Dunst has recalled one particular incident where an unnamed male director asked her a ‘totally inappropriate’ question when she was alone in his office when she was 16
She said she confided in her mother Inez Rupprecht (pictured together in 1996) about the ‘out of the blue’ comment, who swiftly withdrew her from the project
‘A male director had me in his office, by myself, and was asking me about this movie he wanted me for, and then, completely out of the blue, asked me this inappropriate question.
‘Honestly, I’m not even sure he’s still working any more, it’s not something I like to reflect on. But I will say what he said was nothing to do with acting and it wasn’t that what he said was just ‘a bit off’. It was totally improper. And I remember sitting there and knowing that something was wrong, but with no idea what I should do.’
Kirsten said her mother told them she wouldn’t be making the film after hearing the shocking comment.
The actress soon found a mentor in Sofia Coppola who asked her during the casting of 1999’s The Virgin Suicides if any male directors had ‘pounced’ on her previously, to which Kirsten replied: ‘I don’t give off that vibe’.
Elsewhere in the interview, Kirsten discussed the gender pay gap between herself and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man, which she previously said was ‘very extreme’.
The actress had just had a big Hollywood blockbuster film playing a cheerleader in Bring It On.
Reflecting, Kirsten said she should have commanded a much bigger salary as she was ‘bringing something to the table’ but she had ‘no awareness of that’, nor the fact she was being paid ‘much, much less than Tobey’.
The actress, 41, began her career in showbusiness when she was cast in Interview with the Vampire at the age of 11 (pictured)
Elsewhere in the interview, Kirsten discussed the gender pay-gap between herself and Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man, which she previously said was ‘very extreme’
Kirsten is returning to the big screen for the first time in nearly three years with A24’s Civil War (pictured)
The actress is pleased a lot more discussions are happening around pay as she admits she didn’t even think to question it when she was working on the films from 2002 – 2007.
After a hiatus from the industry since her award-winning role in The Power Of The Dog, Kirsten is s returning to the big screen for the first time in nearly three years with A24’s Civil War.
She plays Lee Smith, described as a, ‘steely photojournalist’ who risks her life covering the fictional American Civil War, where 19 states have seceded from the Union.
The actress recently revealed after her Oscars win all she was offered was ‘sad mum roles’ and so she took time out to focus on motherhood.
Kirsten is married to Jesse Plemons and they have two sons, whom they welcomed in 2018 and 2021.
