Kirsten Dunst has revealed she didn't act for two years because the only offers she received were for "sad mom" roles, but now she is returning to the big screen as the dark action heroine of A24's Civil War.
The Oscar-nominated actress opened up about her hiatus in a cover story for Marie Claire, telling the publication that she took a break after appearing in the 2021 Jane Campion film The Power of the Dog because "every role" that came her way in the aftermath was for the "sad mom" and she was looking for something different.
"To be honest, that's been hard for me… because I need to feed myself," Dunst said of not working in the industry for the past two years. "The hardest thing is being a mom and… not feeling like I have nothing for myself. That's every mother — not just me." She added, "There's definitely less good roles for women my age."
Her patience paid off as she eventually found a role that enabled her to enter new territory, playing the steely photojournalist Lee Smith, sent on assignment to cover the American war zone in Alex Garland's A24 film Civil War. Dunst admitted she had "never done anything" like it but fully immersed herself in the dystopian world.
So much so that she "had PTSD for a good two weeks" after production on the hyper-realistic thriller wrapped. The "elevated action" in the film made for some explosive and gunfire-heavy combat scenes that Dunst admits made a lasting impression, as the memories richocheted through her mind long after the shoot.
"I remember coming home and eating lunch, and I felt really empty," Dunst said, adding that the battle scenes and at least one car chase "shook" her to her core.
It is a divergence from her past roles, including her beloved turn as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, but Dunst isn't closed off to returning to that type of work again. She said she would star in another superhero movie, noting, "You get paid a lot of money, and I have two children, and I support my mother."
In fact, Dunst revealed back in 2021 that she would love to return to her iconic role as Mary Jane for another Spider-Man movie. "I wish they'd put me in another one," she candidly told Entertainment Weekly at the time. "Like, old-girl Mary Jane — why not? I would do [another superhero movie]. Everybody else is!"
Dunst is also keen to land a role in "a great TV show," but for the timebeing, Civil War is the only upcoming acting credit on her IMDb page. Garland's action epic will have its world premiere at SXSW 2024 on March 14 before opening in theaters on April 12.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X/Twitter @AdeleAnkers.
