Kirsten Dunst: “I’ve Never Been Recognized in My Industry”

Kirsten Dunst gave a revealing interview, in which she admitted to feeling like her career has never been properly recognized. Which, frankly, it hasn’t. Kirsten Dunst is brilliant!

The 37-year-old actress, currently on a promotional tour for her upcoming Showtime series On Becoming a God in Central Florida, was a guest on the Sirius podcast In-Depth With Larry Flick on Tuesday. During the interview, Dunst was candid about how she feels ignored by the film industry at large.

“I don’t know,” she said when asked about her success. “I’ve also had a lot of disappointment. The things that people like…remember when Marie Antoinette [came out] — y’all panned it? And now you all love it. Remember Drop Dead Gorgeous? Panned. Now you all love it. It’s interesting for me. I feel like a lot of things I do people like later.”

“Also, I’ve never been recognized in my industry,” she continued. “I’ve never been nominated for anything. Maybe like twice for a Golden Globe when I was little and one for Fargo. Maybe they just think I’m the girl from Bring It On.”

Dunst was indeed nominated for two Golden Globes: one for Fargo in 2016 and one for 1995’s Interview with the Vampire. And while that’s of course an enormous accomplishment that most actors could only dream of, Dunst is a highly respected veteran actor who has made a high percentage of films that have become part of the fabric of American culture. She deserves more awards!

The star is often ahead of the game–she is right about Drop Dead Gorgeous, a now cult-classic that received nothing but reviews written in cyanide. Marie Antoinette faired better–it was instantly hailed as a visual masterpiece, and while, like most interesting films, it received somewhat mixed reviews from mainstream publications, it did get the New York Times critic’s pick and everything. But considering how massively influential the movie would go on to be, its reception was a tad muted.

In addition to well-regarded commercial movies (like Bring It On and the good Spider-Man franchise), Dunst has made art house films that were never going to get their due from the industry (Melancholia, her numerous collaborations with Sophia Coppola, Kiki’s Delivery Service) and dark comedies that it took a decade-plus for people to appreciate (DDG, Dick, Bachelorette). Her frustrations are fair! But they mostly seem like the consequences of making smart, interesting choices in an increasingly sanitized industry.

Related: Kirsten Dunst Went Through a Roller Coaster of Emotions on the Cannes Red Carpet