‘Marie Antoinette’: the role that defines Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst knows how to pick a good role. Whether starring in acclaimed movies as a kid in the 1990s, gracing teen comedies in the latter years of the decade and the early 2000s, or appearing in more experimental or hard-hitting titles, like Melancholia or The Power of the Dog, the actor has built up a resumé many people would kill to have.
With early roles in Interview with the Vampire, Little Women, Jumanji, and Anastasia, Dunst soon proved herself a star, appearing in some of the greatest teen-oriented movies of the era. From the underrated Strike and the hilariously dark Drop Dead Gorgeous to the beloved classic Bring It On and the dreamy yet tragic The Virgin Suicides, without fail, Dunst has impressed with her charismatic performances, whether it be melancholic and complex or lighthearted and dynamic.
However, it was arguably her role in Marie Antoinette that remains her truly defining moment. By this point, she had started transitioning to more adult roles, like playing Mary-Jane in the Spider-Man series and starring in the moving romantic drama Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Yet, with Marie Antoinette, Dunst left a lasting impression with her performance as the young queen, truly demonstrating her ability to play emotionally complex characters.
Dunst had first collaborated with Sofia Coppola on The Virgin Suicides in 1999, which allowed her to play one of her first tragic roles. Sure, the movie was bathed in heavenly pastel colours and saw the girls wearing gorgeous floral dresses and lazing under the hazy sun. Nevertheless, Dunst’s character, Lux, becomes Coppola’s primary focus, with the teenager resorting to promiscuity in an act of futile rebellion against her parents. Proving her knack for a character that could be simultaneously childish, irresponsible, spoiled, upset, fragile, objectified, manipulated, and depressed, Coppola soon returned with Dunst in front of the camera for Marie Antoinette.
Yet, the director took an unusual approach to the historical biopic, aiming to highlight how Antoinette was just a young teenager who was forced into her role too soon. By using some anachronistic choices, like a post-punk and indie soundtrack and even the inclusion of some modern footwear in the form of a pair of Converse, Coppola highlighted how Marie Antoinette wasn’t perhaps so different to the modern teenage girl, who simply wants to have fun and be free.
With her previous experience as a teen star, charming viewers in rom-coms and high-school movies, Dunst had the carefree and fun-loving adolescent persona nailed. Yet, she also brought well-needed emotional complexity to the part, showing the highs and lows of the character’s experience of marriage, motherhood, and French dynastic rule.
Dunst’s performance is incredibly nuanced, and we get a sense of her struggles with royal duty and being forced to grow up too fast. With the right balance of humour and sadness, the actor left an indelible mark on 2000s cinema, and the image of her dressed as French royalty will always be one of the most defining depictions of Dunst in pop culture.
