Kirsten Dunst Once Shared That ‘Spider-Man’ Felt Like an Independent Film
Sam Raimi’s 2002 film Spider-Man recruited Kirsten Dunst to play the superhero’s famous love interest Mary Jane.
And although it was one of the biggest films Dunst had ever starred in, it sometimes felt like an independent flick to her.
Kirsten Dunst earned her ‘Spider-Man’ role because of her chemistry with Tobey Maguire
Dunst once confided that she nabbed her role as Mary Jane Watson through a traditional audition process. But admittedly, the actor was anxious about starring in a movie of that scale.
“I auditioned and I was nervous as hell. They all flew out to Berlin — [producer] Laura Ziskin, [director] Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire. … I’d been working all day [on a shoot for The Cat’s Meow], and just got home from work and they’d set up this little ballroom in some hotel,” Dunst once told CNN.
But as nervous as she was, Dunst credited her performance with Maguire as one of the reasons she clinched the part.
“It was pretty intense, but I think they knew the chemistry between Tobey and me was working,” she said.
Kirsten Dunst believed that ‘Spider-Man’ felt like an independent film
What drew Dunst to the 2002 film wasn’t necessary its potential spectacle. The crew involved was what originally excited Dunst to portray Peter Parker’s high school crush. It also indicated that Spider-Man wouldn’t exactly be a run-of-the-mill superhero project. Instead, it’d be something a bit more special.
“I really felt this one had a lot more depth, and with Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire already added to the mix, I knew this movie would be more than just a fluffy kind of action-hero movie,” Dunst said.
The script, in combination with the cast and crew, further sold her on the movie’s depth. At one point, Dunst compared Spider-Man to something more akin to an art house film than a superhero extravaganza.
“Honestly, from the first moment I read it, I thought it was so moving and so emotional,” she once said in an interview with Reuters. “The fact that Sam Raimi was directing and had chosen Tobey Maguire, who had done 2000’s Wonder Boys and 1999’s The Cider House Rules, made it, to me, like an independent film. I auditioned and was so happy I got it.”
Kirsten Dunst once explained why she felt ‘Spider-Man’ was so successful
To Dunst, the success of Spider-Man came down to more than just the popularity of its character. She believed that the hard work of everyone involved in Raimi’s film played a pivotal part in the web-slinger’s cinematic achievements.
“We are all passionate for this franchise. The producers, the heads of Sony, all of us want to make a great movie,” she once said according to SuperHeroHype. “Of course, it’s about box office for the studio at the end of the day, but we don’t want to produce just to produce. We really care for it. These people are so important to us. Sam was working up to the last second giving over to the film. Sam is such a hard worker.”
It helped that the Spider-Man character itself was so relatable to many fans. She further credited Raimi’s direction of the movies. She believed he added to the relatability of these characters with his approach to the mythology.
“Spider-Man is every man. If he can be a hero, you can be a hero. It’s always had very relatable story lines in this fantastical world, yet Sam manages to ground it with the people he’s cast. That’s always attracted interesting actors to play our villains. It’s an international story,” she added.
