Kirsten Dunst: Mary Jane Risks It All

When we last spoke with Kirsten, she talked about her past film roles and new ones in Levity with Billy Bob, Mona Lisa Smile with Julia Roberts, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with Kate Winslet and, oh yeah, the sequel to that little film about the guy who crawls up buildings. She's also dating Jake G. but she won't talk about that.

TeenHollywood: Are you wearing designer clothes?

Kirsten: The clothes that I'm wearing? [Laughs] Bloomingdale's on sale. They're Cationa Deli, I guess. It's really embarrassing to talk about that stuff, and it feels so weird to talk about that with what's going on right now too.

TeenHollywood: I really like Virgin Suicides and Bring It On. Those were interesting and different choices for you.

Kirsten: Both of those were huge risks. A lot of people don't take as big risks anymore because they want to work with the best director, they want to work with the best script and I'm getting into that head space too, but you have to take risks because that's when like the real gems happen sometimes. Bring It On was a total risk. Like, it was a first time director and so was Sofia [Coppola on Suicides]. I mean, that could've been a disaster movie.

TeenHollywood: Was Spider-Man a risk?

Kirsten: I think so. I mean, it's a big movie and I really would not want to be in a big movie that didn't have some profound message. 'With great power comes great responsibility' was our running theme through whole movie and it's really about loneliness and love. When you break it down, it's really a beautiful story, I think. But, it's helped me in a lot of different ways in my career and in doing smaller films and getting smaller films made that maybe wouldn't have been made.

TeenHollywood: Levity isn't a happy movie. What was it like on the set?

Kirsten: It was pretty depressing because you're in cold weather, shooting nights in Montreal and you don't have the comforts of home. It's like I was by myself and it gets lonely and I was the only younger person on set. I was kind of staying in a depressing hotel too. It's just that the whole atmosphere was a little stuck.

TeenHollywood: Levity is about unfinished business and redemption. Were your scenes with Billy Bob tough?

Kirsten: For me and Billy Bob, it was really trying to find the light but rejecting it. He's just very withdrawn and I am also, but I want to break through to him and him to break through to me. It's really powerful. It's like, 'Can you ever be redeemed from something like that?' [being a murderer]. It's hard. I don't know. I don't know if I ever could be after I did anything like that.

TeenHollywood: Your character in Levity is a wild, really lost girl who does some self destructive things. Could you relate to that at all?

Kirsten: Oh, like I'm doing crazy things in real life, me? Do I? I mean, I don't do that kind of crazy things [Laughs]. Like, my girlfriend and I went out the other night and I dropped her off at twelve thirty at night. We were like all tired. It's such a scene in L.A. I can't even deal with it. I just feel like an old lady. All I want to do is stay home, veg out, watch movies, eat at home, and chill with the cat. That's basically it. Pretty much vegging out is my life right now.

TeenHollywood: Do you watch your own movies? Do you watch the ones when you were a kid?

Kirsten: I don't watch Jumanji. It's weird for me, I hate watching it. I don't like watching them. I haven't even watched Levity yet. I don't really like watching. I always get migraine headaches whenever I'm like at premieres and stuff at a movie that I'm in. It's like so stressful.

TeenHollywood: When do you start Spider-Man 2 and what are you looking forward to about being Mary Jane again?

Kirsten: We haven't even really had rehearsals or anything yet. I think that it starts April twelfth. The growth of my character is really good. I'm really happy with where they've brought Mary Jane and she's really a stronger woman now. She's learned a lot and I'm ready for her to move on and be the strong one and take the initiative with Peter.

TeenHollywood: What's with all these rumors that Tobey's back may keep him out of the role and Jake may step in?

Kirsten: have no idea what's going to happen. They're working with Tobey [Maguire] right now to see if he can do the role because of his back. That's all I know. All I know is I'm going to be there on April twelfth working. I'm Mary Jane, and I'm going to be working with whatever Peter comes along. There you go.

TeenHollywood: What movies did you like this year?

Kirsten: I saw Talk To Her and my friend and I just saw City of God which is so good even though it was disturbing. I really liked this movie Tadpole, from this year. A lot of movies were so depressing this year. About Schmidt was so depressing.

TeenHollywood: Who do you play in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?

Kirsten: I am the secretary of the doctor who does the procedure. It's not a funny movie. It's that kind of funny that's so weird that you don't know if you should feel bad for these people or laugh. It's like that uncomfortable funny. I saw one scene, on playback, and it was really sad, but it was really comical. It's an important role, but it's small. It's an ensemble movie.

TeenHollywood: Are you planning on going to college?

Kirsten: I'm not actually. I'm doing what I love to do, and I do want to take classes for certain things like philosophy and I'd like to learn German better because my dad is from Germany or photography and art history I've always wanted to take. So, I want to do it on my own time.

TeenHollywood: You're so busy. What about Mona Lisa Smile with Julia?

Kirsten: That's about wealthy college girls in the fifties. That comes out next year maybe, in the fall, I think, yeah. That's a different role for me too. I play a real bitch in that one.

TeenHollywood: What are your feelings about the war?

Kirsten: It's hard to talk about it, but I mean, it's sad and I wish that there was a peaceful way to settle this. I'm really scared, and you know, it's just sad. It's just really sad.