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Kirsten Dunst: I struggle to get roles in Hollywood

posted 7 years ago by TMC-4 (19445)
38 replies | jump to latest

https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/kirsten-dunst-i-struggle-to-get-roles-in-hollywood.1227642/

Thirty-five-year-old Kirsten Dunst has spoken out about the difficulties women in Hollywood face when trying to get work throughout their thirties. The actress, who recently appeared in a supporting role in Hidden Figures, chatted with Nylon magazine about the lack of roles available for women in her age bracket (which is CRAZY) and the impact of that:

“You’re almost better off being older,” she told the mag, explaining that “good” roles for women are few and far between and when they do appear, they are given out to the actress who are of the moment.

Once you reach your thirties in Hollywood, you’re no longer able to play “the young girl who’s just, like, beautiful and things are happening to her” and so, opportunities dry up, Dunst explained.

The actress, who has been working since age three, revealed that to add to the difficulties of finding roles as a woman, social media influence is now a factor in getting work in the biz:

“You can get jobs based on your Instagram following these days. That’s insane. But that’s why I have it now,” she told Marie Claire in a recent interview.

“As a man, you could get away with not having it. As a woman in this industry, I think you gotta do it now, she continued.

https://lebeauleblog.com/2013/07/28/what-the-hell-happened-to-kirsten-dunst/

[–] EricCartmanBrah (426) 7 years ago

There are many counter examples to this. Heck, Amy Adams didn't become a star until she was 30-35....

[–] actionkamen (23176) 7 years ago

Helen Mirren still get jobs in Hollywood and she's pretty old and not even an American.

[–] [email protected] (690) 7 years ago

But how many people are Helen Mirren? Sure, she and Meryl get great roles all the time, but they are the exception.
I sympathize with Ms Dunst, up to a point. I mean, the whole business is competitive and superficial. Without looking at their ages, I imagine there are a lot of females KD's age who have trouble getting roles, but it isn't discrimination. It's just hard to produce a lot of movies about women around 40-ish. I'd like to see some good dramas with roles KD could fill, but how is this supposed to happen? Claire Danes got lucky with Homeland, Keri Russell with The Americans, Laura Dern seems to be working ... just have to be vigilant and be open to new projects. Hopefully she's been smart with her money because she's been very successful, it seems to me.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 7 years ago

I agree with you that it's not a discrimination. If you have talent you get jobs. Is this not The American Dream all about? Meritocracy, baby!

If the world only needs two old ladies starring in movies and Kristen Dunst is not among them then so be it. She can produce her own movies with herself starring in it. Mel Gibson did that. Clint Eastwood and Diane Keaton did that. Nothing CRAZY about all of this.

[–] Otter (24464) 2 years ago

It actually really is a matter of age, sex, etc., much more than talent.

Any given actor can only take those roles that are appropriate to their age, sex, race, weight, spoken languages, looks, etc., and the fact is that there are a lot more roles and leading roles written for slim light-skinned attractive women aged 20-35 and muscular photogenic men 25-45, than there are for, say, black women over 50 or South Asian men of any age. And if a good role for a black woman over 50 comes along then it's going to be offered to Octavia Spencer first, and all the other actors in her demographic are left to fight over the few roles that she turns down.

That's one reason so many actors who were successful when they were young find new careers in middle age, there's just less work available to them as they get older, and fewer interesting roles. People who played interesting protagonists when they were young find they're offered nothing but roles as the hero's mom or dad or teacher or boss, and that's when they start looking for new career options.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 7 years ago

Zoe Saldana (39, Live by Night, GotG Vol.2)
Amy Adams (42, Justice League, Noctural Animal, Arrival)
Viola Davis (51, Suicide Squad, Fences, How to Get Away with Murder)
Anne Hathaway (35, Colossal, Alice Through the Looking Glass)
Natalie Portman (36, Jackie, Planetarium)
Taraji P. Henson (46, Hidden Figures, Proud Mary)
Jada P. Smith (46, Girls Trip, Bad Moms)
Cate Blanchett (47, Thor: Ragnarok)
Halle Berry (50, Kingsman, Kidnap)
Julianne Moore (56, Kingsman, Suburbicon)
Marisa Tomei (52, Spider-Man: Homecoming)
Melissa McCarthy (46, Ghostbusters, Central Intelligence)
Jessica Chastain (40, Molly's Game, The Zookeeper's Wife)
Nicole Kidman (49, Lion, The Beguiled)
Allison Brie (35, GLOW, A Family Man, The Disaster Artist)
Lena Headey (44, GoT, Thumper)
Charlize Theron (42, Atomic Blonde, Fast & Furious 8)

Wow, actually it's more than I thought. Even Dunts herself actually gets jobs in 2017 like in The Beguiled and Woodshock. Also Hidden Figures and Midnight Special in 2016. Four freakin' movies in the last 2 years! So I don't know what the whining was all about. Smh.

[–] EricCartmanBrah (426) 7 years ago

On top of that, some of these are also really bad actors. Damn, Saldana is actually older than Pratt and Pine? Btw, are those their ages as of January 1st this year, because most of them have even gotten a year older.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 7 years ago

I just substracted their year of birth from 2017. Maybe inaccurate, but well...

[–] Information-Police (4099) 2 years ago

Now part a list of male actors those ages and you'll see what was meant.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 2 years ago

Now list all the male kindergarten teachers in your city.

While I think it's true that Dunst is not getting jobs easier compared to younger actor and actresses (or younger herdelf.) But that's not a discrimination, the demand was simply not there.

Old male actors also get difficulties to get a role. If it was any easier why would Willis and Cage star in B-grade trash instead of blockbusters like they used to be?

Too many old actors and actresses, too little demand for movies featuring old main characters. Economics 101.

[–] Kowalski (59227) 2 years ago

YOU GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO BE A DICK...WILLIS AND CAGE COLLECT PAYCHECKS FOR 2 DAYS WORK,EASY ANSWER....DUNST IS RIGHT...ANY OF MALE STARS OF HER AGE WOULD BE PAIRED WITH YOUNGER ACTRESSES,AS IS THE ROUTINE...YOUNG AND OLD BOTH OFFER MORE ROLES FOR AN ACTRESS THAN MIDDLE AGE.

[–] actionkamen (23176) 2 years ago

https://moviechat.org/tt10293406

[–] Kowalski (59227) 2 years ago

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000379/

[–] actionkamen (23176) 2 years ago

Nah, not gonna open filthy IMDb.

[–] BillySlater (4108) 2 years ago

"ANY OF MALE STARS OF HER AGE WOULD BE PAIRED WITH YOUNGER ACTRESSES,AS IS THE ROUTINE"

Two sides to the coin though. Its more common for men to have starring roles in their 30s-40s than it is for them to be leading men at 18-25.

[–] Kowalski (59227) 2 years ago

LMAO...THAT ISN'T TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN...THAT'S BULLSHIT.😂

[–] BillySlater (4108) 2 years ago

Well Taylor Lautner had a very similar career trajectory to Kirsten Dunst, why isn´t the "patriarchy" supporting him? ;)

[–] Kowalski (59227) 2 years ago

THOSE TWO PEOPLE ARE NOT COMPARABLE TALENT WISE.

[–] BillySlater (4108) 2 years ago

Oh I agree. Talent is a big part of it and just another important variable as to why some actors/actresses get work and others don´t. The same could be said for comparing Dunst to a ScarJo or Anne Hathaway. Both similar in age to Dunst and yet both still have highly successful careers.

[–] cyberbob (3488) 2 years ago

ScarJo is a very boring actor

[–] Kowalski (59227) 2 years ago

DUNST,YOU AND I ALL KNOW THE ANSWER,BUT DON'T WANT TO SAY IT...DUNST LOOKS HER AGE(STILL HOT IN MY BOOK)...WHILE THE OTHER TWO HAVE DONE WHATEVER WAS NEEDED OR JUST GOT LUCKY IN ORDER TO STAY "A-LIST HOT"...HOLLYWOOD ROLES ARE HARDER TO COME BY FOR ACTRESSES OF A CERTAIN MEDIAN AGE...WHO DON'T LOOK LIKE SEX BOMBS OR WISE ELDERS.

[–] BillySlater (4108) 2 years ago

Good point. The other two have definitely aged better but Dunst (or the article) is making out like her career dived as soon as she hit 35, when her career curtailed way before that. I honestly can´t think of anything she did after Spiderman 3 without googling it and she was still in her mid 20s then!

[–] Information-Police (4099) 2 years ago

Does Helen Mirren get jobs in Hollywood or in UK and independent films?

[–] actionkamen (23176) 2 years ago

All of them.

[–] Information-Police (4099) 10 months ago

Is 6 years later and Amy Adams is pretty much gone from big movies

[–] thecritic (191) 7 years ago

I think what she was talking about here were the big movies. Since in the 90's/2000's she was the 'it girl' of the moment. She played Mary Jane Watson in some of the best spm movies out there. It's true when you get older the juicy roles dry up. Most of the big roles, easily went to younger women. Like remember all the rom-coms of the 90's/00's? These girls were in them all. Dunst, julia stiles, Alicia Silverstone, linsday lohan, amada bynes, hilary duff, mandy moore, cameron diaz, etc...

Admittedly there are women 30+ working in hollywood. But they get like bit parts. They play the mom, teacher, are in some oscar nominated fare that only 10 people watch, or have to settle for the small screen. Sure these people are highly paid, but she is talking about working. And having only 1 movie in a while is not working that much. When before she was everywhere.

And most of the people over 30 that get work still look young. Like Tomei that is now called 'hot aunt may' in the new spm movies, also it was a pretty small part as well.

Things are changing a bit with shows like younger, pointing out that people can look younger. But mostly the way things work in hw is that they want the next young thing like liz olsen, daisy ridley, etc. They would rather in a big movie invest in a 'young hot thing' than an slightly older seasoned actor. It's pretty sad I miss a lot of the 90's it girls. Granted some chose to do drugs or have a family. But most don't get any decent roles unless they have a huge following or look younger.

[–] Drmccormack (743) 7 years ago

I would love to see Kirsten Dunst in a lot more movies. I don't think the problem is with her age at all. I think the problem is there are too few movies being made which feature women at all. One of the many reasons I love "classic" movies is that there were so many more "women's" movies being made. Throughout the 30s,40s, 50s, the studio system knew it could make money from small budget women's features. There was a lot of junk in there, but many fine movies too. I think television movies may have eaten up that market today. I know I would love to see more movies with women's stories. I go to the movies a lot and I'm sure I can't be the only person who is sick of these super hero reboots. Don't get me wrong, I love comic books. I was one of the few girls in the comic book store every weekend, but I want to watch other types of movies too! I mean, we need adult movies too, right? There is a totally untapped market in my opinion. Kirsten Dunst is perfect for a some mature melodrama. In fact, I'd love to see her in something like that. She's a wonderful actress. Look at The Beguiled. Her work with Sofia Coppola is outstanding.

[–] Fairy_snuff (389) 7 years ago

I think the issue is that there are a lot more male actors in their 30s/40s getting great roles than their are women.. people want hot young women and older, more rugged men. Men are still thought of as heartthrobs into their 50s but women, not so much:

Leonardo DiCaprio (42)
Christian Bale (43)
Jude Law (44)
Matt Damon (46)
Jake Gyllenhaal (36)
Mark Wahlberg (46)
James Franco (39)
Ryan's Gosling (36)
Daniel Craig (49)
Ben Affleck (45)
Ewan McGregor (46)

There doesn't seem to be any shortage of roles for them!

[–] Kino (441) 7 years ago

If she's struggling to get roles in Hollywood she can always get a role in my indie films. We could film our own erotic adventure art film.

[–] Xcalat3 (3701) 7 years ago

indeed, there are enough indie movies being made where she could get a good role.

[–] TMC-4 (19445) 4 years ago

https://www.quora.com/What-happened-to-actress-Kirsten-Dunsts-career/answer/Jon-Mixon-1

Dunst’s highest profile role as an adult was her three turns in the first Spiderman franchise - Dunst hasn’t been a lead in any features which have approached those films in terms of success and that lowered her profile.

Dunst was treated for depression in 2008 - While that was good for her psyche, it was bad for her career. She’s been unable to return to her Spiderman-era levels of fame.

Dunst isn’t “conventionally attractive” - It’s difficult to cast Dunst because she’s not a beauty queen, and she really isn’t a good enough actor to be cast solely for her abilities.

Dunst didn’t have a franchise - She was in the first of the “Bring It On” series of films but apparently decided to eschew the remainder of the films. Since a franchise would have raised her profile, that may not have been the best decision for her to have made.

Dunst has made other questionable career decisions - Dunst became a German citizen because (according to her) it allowed her to work in more European roles. However given those films’ lower pay and lower profiles in the entertainment industry that doesn’t seem to have been the wisest of ideas. Additionally Dunst has moved over to television with roles in FX’s Fargo series, as well as a Showtime network program. Although those are “work”, they are clearly steps down from her higher profile roles in the 2000s.

[–] CraigC (6982) 2 years ago

She's an obvious liberal who thinks any failure she experiences is because the system is broken and stacked against her. Couldn't be because she sucks. It's not discrimination, she just sucks. Interview with the Vampire should've been her only role.

[–] SandyR (7392) 2 years ago

I don't think she sucks (insert joke about how jobs are won in Hollywood...), but I agree she's falling back on the left's soft cushion of, "It's not MY fault!..."

[–] Enigmaticocean77 (2123) 2 years ago

At the end of her rant she said men can get away with it, and women can't... her argument lost all merit right there. Typical has-been female actress BS. If I can't get jobs, and I'm a woman it's a man's fault. Dunst simply wasn't that good of an actress. She was an average actress, with a pretty face, and a good body. That will keep an actress employed throughout her twenties, because all she has to do is be herself- a hottie. However, once an actress starts to mature out of that age range they NEED to be a great actress in order to stay relevant. Men on the other hand usually become super stars when they hit their thirties, and they look more like men than little boys. Take Leonardo Di Caprio for instance. Yes, he had Titanic, but after that he was a has-been for the better part of a decade until he grew into a man. Then and only then did he become a mega star. There is a trade off, in regards to star power between men and women, but of course Dunst doesn't see it. She just complains that she isn't relevant anymore and that it's men's fault.

[–] SandyR (7392) 2 years ago

Weird. She has money and power already. Why not hire someone to writer a script for her and get it produced?