Kirsten Dunst Has Always Been the Moment
From sulking in the teen angst of “The Virgin Suicides” to reminiscing about the universe in “Melancholia,” there seems to be a Kirsten Dunst movie for any stage of life. In celebration of Dunst’s long overdue Oscar nomination, we revisited some of the actress’s most iconic and overlooked roles throughout her career.
The Virgin Suicides (1999)
Arguably the role that put the actress on the map, ‘The Virgin Suicides’ shows a 16-year-old Kirsten Dunst grappling with the sometimes suffocating loneliness of being a teenage girl. Centering a group of sisters living under the reign of their strict parents, the dark yet dreamy adaptation covers everything from high school drama and awkward relationships to the more sinister side of adolescence. As Dunst’s first of many collaborations with director Sofia Coppola, ‘The Virgin Suicides’ birthed the duo’s coming-of-age chronology.
Photos: Paramount Classics
Dick (1999)
Political comedy meets camp in this 90s cult classic. Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams star as two aloof high schoolers who find themselves at the center of one of the most infamous events in American history. When wandering off during a class trip results in the girls getting hired as President Nixon’s personal dog walkers, the duo takes on the roles of ditzy teen whistleblowers for the Watergate scandal. With her Y2K spin on iconic 70s teen fashion and ironic patriotism, Dunst meshes vintage glam and government affairs into the ideal stylish satire.
Photos: Columbia Pictures
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Another Kirsten cult classic – ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ follows Dunst as a contestant in a small-town beauty pageant that gets ugly. The comedic mockumentary turned murder mystery documents when rising tensions between other aspiring beauty queens and their cutthroat mothers become lethal. While an ongoing series of bizarre incidents lead to the death of several contestants, the remaining runners must force a Vaseline-smothered smile as the body count grows higher.
Photos: New Line Cinema
Bring it On (2000)
In possibly the most iconic cheerleading movie of all time, Dunst once again embodies the dream teen persona. It seems like everyone pre-Gen Z remembers watching Kirsten’s pom-pom choreography on their parents’ tube tv. Even after repeatedly leading blockbuster hits and establishing herself as a major name in Hollywood, Dunst somehow managed to maintain her indie-darling image – or perhaps we all really just wanted her to ourselves, like a one-sided “best friends forever” pact.
Photos: Universal Pictures
Elizabethtown (2005)
We all need a little rom-com moment every now and then. Dunst’s role, a bubbly flight attendant named Claire, is the embodiment of those bright-eyed 20-somethings with nothing to lose. She was the blueprint for the ‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ – they literally coined the term after her character. Combined with a young Orlando Bloom and an unlikely romance, ‘Elizabethtown’ is the quintessential 2000s rom-com.
Photos: Paramount Pictures
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Continuing her cinematic relationship with Sofia Coppola, ‘Marie Antoinette’ sees Dunst experiment with a modern take on the infamous French queen. While her iconic lavish lifestyle is displayed through lush sets and costumes, Dunst tells a more personal tale of the Queen’s time in the castle that didn’t quite make it into the history books. From her marriage at 15 years old to conquering the throne at 19, the film imagines the struggles of a young girl growing up into immense power.
Photos: Columbia Pictures
Melancholia (2011)
Coming of age doesn’t have an expiration date with Kirsten Dunst. Somewhere along the way, however, the actress’s portfolio shifted from the queen of teens to the mother of mental illness. ‘Melancholia’ finds Dunst at a turning point in her adult life, exploring the distress of depression and getting married – and a new planet threatening to collide with Earth and wipe out human existence. By continuing to take on introspective roles into her adulthood, she reflects on the unspoken reality that life just doesn’t always make sense like you thought it would.
Photos: Magnolia Pictures
Woodshock (2017)
‘Woodshock’ is a mystical and twisted tale of a woman sacrificing sanity for fantasy. The hallucinatory fairy tale crowns Dunst as a disoriented weed dispensary employee who, following an immense loss, turns to mind-altering substances to escape her fractured emotional state. As she spirals further away from reality and into a psychedelic-induced psychosis, Dunst provides a haunting portrayal of grief and the lengths one will go to escape it.
Photos: A24
