Celebrity nicknames have been a thing for as long as anyone can remember, with the likes of Jennifer Lawrence’s “J-Law”, John Wayne’s “The Duke,” and Beyoncé’s “Queen Bey” quickly coming to mind. But did you know that Kirsten Dunst has had a nickname of her own since she was a young girl? On top of that, did you know that it is the same name as her titular character from the iconic Studio Ghibli movie, Kiki’s Delivery Service?

Here’s where things get interesting…

With Dunst having the nickname “Kiki,” you would assume it was inspired by the young witch she voiced in the 1998 English dub of Hayao Miyazaki’s classic animated film, right? Well, you’d be wrong, as the two have nothing to do with one another outside of being a wonderful coincidence. So, how did Dunst get that nickname if not from Kiki’s Delivery Service? Let me explain…

Turns Out She Started Calling Herself Kiki Years Earlier

You know how everyone is constantly messing up Kirsten Dunst’s name and pronouncing it the wrong way? It turns out this isn’t just a problem for interviewers, fans, or colleagues, as Dunst herself used to have trouble saying her own name back when she was a young child. When speaking with ESPN’s Page 2 (RIP to a great and revolutionary force of the early 2000s internet) back in 2001, Dunst was asked how she got her nickname, to which she replied:

Though Dunst didn’t go into detail about the exact age at which she started using the nickname, it had to have been long before she provided the English voice in the 1998 dub of Kiki’s Delivery Service. Though the original Japanese version of the delightful animated movie about a young witch finding her place in the world came out a decade earlier, the actress has never implied the two were connected or anything more than pure coincidence.

Kirsten Dunst Has Even Used It On Set

Though Kirsten Dunst was understandably upset about being called “girly-girl” on the set of Spider-Man back in the day, she doesn’t seem to have a problem with her co-stars and production teams calling her “Kiki.”

I found a post by the 90sgirlfriends Instagram account that shared behind-the-scenes photos taken by Denise Richards on the set of Drop Dead Gorgeous, Michael Patrick Jann’s 1999 mockumentary about a small-town beauty pageant. Several of the photos, which are a blast from the past, refer to Dunst as “Kiki,” including both in character and helping with stuff on the set of the movie.

It was a different story when Dunst filmed her 2025 dramedy, Roofman. In an interview alongside co-star Channing Tatum with MTV’s Josh Horowitz, she was asked about her nickname and if anyone called her that on set. However, Tatum did joke around with the actress by calling her Kiki multiple times in the interview.

I couldn’t find any clips of Kirsten Dunst talking about her experience making Kiki’s Delivery Service or its connection to her nickname. That said, this charming and emotional animated adventure is well worth a revisit all these years later.

The Housemaid proved to be a massive financial hit following its release at the tail end of 2025. With that, it probably shouldn’t have come as much of a surprise that Lionsgate quickly greenlighted a sequel to Paul Feig’s book-to-screen adaptation. Pre-production on the follow-up is currently in motion, and that means casting is underway. On that note, the movie just landed a major A-lister to join Sydney Sweeney. And this is a name so notable that fan reactions may break the internet.

It’s been reported that Kirsten Dunst has officially been tapped for a role in The Housemaid’s Secret. Deadline’s report on this major bit of casting news didn’t include specific information regarding the role Dunst is playing. Nevertheless, this marks a huge step forward for the upcoming movie and further indicates how much Lionsgate is aiming to invest in the film. Dunst herself also commented after the news dropped, sharing a screengrab of the trade’s article to Instagram and dropping a four-word caption:

Few people probably need to be convinced of Dunst’s acting prowess, considering her vast body of work. From Bring it On and Spider-Man to The Beguiled and Midnight Special, Dunst’s filmography is filled with titles spanning various genres in which she’s shown off talents as a performer. And, of course, let’s not forget that she also landed an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress due to her performance in 2021’s The Power of the Dog. So, in short, Dunst is definitely a strong addition to the Housemaid franchise.

There are a few reasons why I think this news could drum up some serious excitement across the internet. First and foremost, Freida McFadden’s Housemaid books have garnered a large fanbase as is and, as a result, many have surely been awaiting major details on the latest installment in the film franchise. And, of course, the second reason for the potential hype is the huge following that Dunst also has. Should these two fanbases come together to celebrate this news, it could spark some major social media buzz.

If Lionsgate really wanted to break the Internet, though, the studio could also confirm the return of Amanda Seyfried, who played Nina Winchester in the OG film. Seyfried has already expressed interest, though neither Feig nor any members of the team have confirmed or denied her involvement as of this writing. Even if Seyfried doesn’t reprise her role, though, the premise and combined star power of Sweeney and Dunst may be enough to appeal to fans.

Based on McFadden’s 2023 novel of the same name, The Housemaid’s Secret will once again follow Wilhelmina "Millie" Calloway (Sweeney), who takes on a housekeeping position for a woman she’s never allowed to actually see. This leads Millie into yet another mystery and one that’s filled with an array of dark secrets. From a behind-the-scenes standpoint, it’s also been confirmed that Michele Morrone will reprise her role as Enzo in the film. With Feig back in the director’s chair and Rebecca Sonnenshine taking on writing duties again, this film will hopefully be a worthy follow-up to its box office-winning predecessor.

When it comes to Kirsten Dunst’s casting, what’s particularly ironic is that she actually just landed another sequel that was on her wish list. Dunst is joining the A Minecraft Movie follow-up alongside Jack Black, Jason Momoa and co. It goes without saying that Dunst remains booked and busy, and I’m eager to see how fans react to her casting in both films, especially Housemaid.

An official release date has yet to be announced for The Housemaid’s Secret. In the meantime, fans can buy or rent The Housemaid on digital platforms.

Kirsten Dunst is one of our best actors working today who’s been in a ton of really great movies, but they often don’t often scream “box office smash” – since her Spider-Man days, anyway. So the fact that she’s now the star of one of Hollywood’s upcoming video game movies, A Minecraft Movie 2, is a great surprise, especially when you consider the funny backstory behind it.

As the sequel for A Minecraft Movie reportedly gets ready to start rolling cameras next month, we’ve just learned that Dunst will be joining Jason Momoa and Jack Black for the sequel, per Variety. Warner Bros. says details about the actor’s role and what the plot line for the followup will “remain deep in the mine” for now, but what a welcome twist for Dunst!

Ironically enough, Kirsten Dunst actually pitched herself to be in A Minecraft Movie 2 back in August 2025 since her kids loved the first movie, and, as Town & Country claimed, “she’d like to make a pile of cash.” Perhaps her plea got the production’s attention? Here’s what she said at the time:

Dunst has a seven-year-old son named Ennis and four-year-old son named James, who she shares with her partner and fellow actor Jesse Plemons. This seems like the ultimate move for the actress to do one for them and perhaps win some cool mom points with her young boys. And, let’s not forget how funny Kirsten Dunst can be! She’s been in hilarious comedies like Drop Dead Gorgeous, Bring It On and Anchorman 2.

The 43-year-old movie star also deserves a set to joke around on after doing quite a few rough dramas in recent years like 2024’s Civil War and 2021’s The Power of the Dog. As she pointed out in the interview where she name-dropped Minecraft, it’s been a while since she’s been in a movie that was a big commercial success, though Civil War did become one of A24’s highest-grossing movies in 2024.

When it comes to A Minecraft Movie 2, you can pretty much bet on it being a huge box office hit considering how the last one did. A Minecraft Movie made $961.2 billion worldwide, making it the No. 5 highest-grossing movie of 2025 globally and it was actually the No. 1 movie of last year at the domestic box office. The sequel is being made by the same team behind the first movie, and according to Jason Momoa, the script had him “laughing out loud”.

If you’re mispronouncing her name now, you might want to learn it, because Kirsten Dunst is sure to be in with the kids when A Minecraft Movie 2 hits theaters on July 23, 2027! While we wait for it, you can revisit the first movie right now with an HBO Max subscription.

Ever since the 2026 Oscar nominations dropped this week, there’s naturally been a lot of conversation about what the Academy got right, and what the public believes to be snubs. One popular point of contention is regarding Jesse Plemons’ Bugonia performance, which the actor’s wife, Kirsten Dunst, is now jumping on.

Bugonia was one of the ten Best Picture nominees, and also received nominations in the Adapted Screenplay and Original Score categories, along with Emma Stone picking up a nomination for Lead Actress. But a lot of cinephiles aren’t happy with Plemons being left out of the Best Actor category. Check out with Dunst posted on her Instagram:

Dunst and Plemons started dating after they met on the set of Fargo Season 2 back in 2015, and they’ve been married since 2022. The couple share two sons together: seven-year-old son Ennis and four-year-old James.

Kirsten Dunst reposted a picture of one Bugonia star, Stavros Halkias (who plays the local police officer Casey Boyd), who shared his anger over Plemons missing out on a nomination for his incredible performance. Dunst also posted this video talking about why Jesse Plemons deserved the nod:

The video called Plemons’ performance “transcendent level,” and that it would be a “crime” if it wasn’t recognized by the Academy. Welp, it happened! The actors who were deemed more deserving of the award are Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Michael B. Jordan for Sinners, Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.

In Bugonia, Plemons plays a conspiracy theorist named Teddy who kidnaps the CEO of a pharmaceutical company Michelle Fuller (played by Emma Stone) under the assumption that she is an alien. Plemons’ character demands that Michelle organize a meeting between himself and her people while us as an audience struggle to decide whether he’s cuckoo bananas or if the CEO is truly from another planet. At CinemaBlend, we named Bugonia one of the best movies of 2025.

Plemons has been nominated for an Oscar before, for 2021’s The Power of the Dog for Best Supporting Actor, which went to Troy Kotsur for CODA. Along this year’s awards season, which have been airing on the 2026 TV schedule leading up to the Oscars on March 15, Plemons was nominated for his role in Bugonia at the Golden Globes (which Chalamet won) and the Actors Awards (which will happen on March 1).

When it comes to the buzz around the other Academy Award nominees, Sinners broke an all-time record with 16 nominations (including more love for a couple of supporting performances – Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku – that other ceremonies have shut out). People have also been talking about how Wicked: For Good was completely shut out and how Paul Mescal lost out on a nomination in the Supporting Actor category.

You can see the 98th Academy Awards live on Sunday, March 15 on ABC or Hulu.

Despite looking forward to many 2026 movies, I’m a bit behind on last year’s films, so I recently decided to use my Paramount+ subscription to watch Channing Tatum play a charming criminal in Roofman. While I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, the cast (which is also filled with talented actors like Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Peter Dinklage and more), and the characters, something I really loved was how Dunst’s unabashedly horny character was treated.

Kirsten Dunst Plays Leigh In Roofman, Who’s Based On A Real Person

Roofman is based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester (portrayed by Channing Tatum, who noted that he did end up pulling for the man he plays), who garnered his titular nickname by drilling into the roofs of businesses in order to rob them. While serving time in prison for his crimes, he escaped and hid in a working Toys ‘R’ Us, eventually dating a single mom named Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), who had no clue who he really was.

In the film, Leigh is recently divorced after an unfulfilling and unhappy marriage, and when she meets Jeffrey (who’s going by John) at her church, it’s pretty clear that she likes him. Their relationship moves pretty quickly and in a very sweet way (for a movie, anyway). However, the best part about that romance is how the movie treats Leigh.

Leigh Is Allowed To Be Horny Without The Story Judging Her

The topic of sex is usually filled with numerous minefields, even when sexual relationships are shown on screen. Something that we’re rarely treated to in movies and TV shows are women approaching middle age, and with children who still live at home with them, to boot, who are allowed to be not just sexual, but full-on horny.

While the love story isn’t the main plot of Roofman, it was definitely a joy to watch Leigh ask Jeffrey out on a date, and then when they did have that date, make the additional move of inviting him back to her home to get horizontal.

We don’t usually get female characters who are close to middle age, with kids, and recently divorced who are also completely horny and willing to act on that horniness pronto on screen. Sure, you might see a host of women in their 20s who have lots of sex, or characters in their 30s who don’t have the responsibilities of parenthood that get it on on the regular.

When it comes to single mothers we're supposed to like as characters, they tend to be so put upon that they no longer think about sex at all, much less actually taking the time to get some. In movies and on television, women in this category (and several others, actually) are frequently shown as sexless. That never applies to male characters in any stage of life. If they aren’t having sex it’s specifically related to issues that particular character is having, and not shown as just a fact of life for a man of a certain age or one who’s dealing with a certain level of life responsibility.

Not only do we see Leigh take her pleasure in her own hands by inviting Jeffrey to her place, but they have a damn fine time of it. Obviously, from the standpoint of Jeff being an escaped convict who was, yes, telling Leigh a host of lies, what she did could be seen as a bad move for her life. The story, however, doesn’t attempt to make the fact that Leigh had desires and wanted them fulfilled something shameful, which was also really lovely to see.

While things did not end well for Leigh and Jeff, at least he was a soft place for her and her daughters to land in the wake of the divorce, and that appears to be what they really needed. Now, if we can just get a movie where an older single mom has hot sex with a guy who’s not actually a major criminal, I’ll be even happier.

Channing Tatum was once best known as the shirtless hunk from the Magic Mike franchise, but in the 13 years since that first film’s release, he has become so much more. Not only does he hold his own as a serious dramatic actor, having just last year delivered a wildly intense performance in the thriller Blink Twice, he’s also become a comedian in his own right, giving us hilariously quotable performances in the Jump Street franchise.

After a decade of fans yelling “My name is Jeff” in the actor’s direction and countless memes, he is hitting the big screen as real-life convict Jeffrey Manchester in the new film Roofman. As a Jeff myself, I found this coincidence to be too much to ignore, and I had to ask the actor whether or not he had thought of this. Not only does Tatum also get a kick out of it, but he pointed out another Jeff connection via the film’s primary setting, a vintage Toys “R” Us store:

As a proud Jeff, I accept Channing Tatum’s apology on behalf of Jeffs everywhere. It is true that, upon learning my name, folks feel immediately inclined to spit that quote right at me, almost as if it’s a knee-jerk reaction. It was worth it, though, as Tatum is undeniably hilarious in the Jump Street franchise, and it turns out that he even improvised some key scenes. If you’re not familiar with the scene in question from 22 Jump Street, allow me:

Truthfully, this is a good legacy for Jeffs to have. Usually, “Jeff” is used as a punchline in order to represent someone or something that is basic, average or unremarkable. Take the titular stoner from Jeff Who Lives At Home, for example, or this scene from another Jonah Hill-starring film, Get Him To The Greek, which refers to Jeffs as perhaps the least intimidating bloke one can imagine:

Roofman also has plenty of comedy, but it deals with quite a bit more serious subject matter than the Jump Street films. Channing Tatum teamed up director Derek Cianfrance, who was able to secure the actor quite a few years after he turned down the leading role in his sophomore effort, Blue Valentine. The result is pretty fantastic, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Roofman was one day considered to be one of Channing Tatum’s best films.

As for Jump Street, they definitely wrote the last installment to be a franchise ender, but there is constant talk of whether or not 23 Jump Street will come to fruition and exactly what that will look like. Not that it matters much in the larger scope of Tatum’s career, as he’s never been stronger as a box office draw. He’s currently shooting Avengers: Doomsday, his second appearance as Gambit.

In the meantime, however, you can watch him play yet another Jeff in Roofman in theaters right now! As for everything else coming our way on the 2025 movie release schedule, keep it right here at CinemaBlend.

It’s difficult to understate just how losing Robin Williams affected the world. Millions of fans were heartbroken by his passing, but even more than that, it seems that nearly every life Williams touched directly was left better for it, including his many co-stars, like Kirsten Dunst.

A young Dunst co-starred alongside Robin Williams in the original Jumanji, and in a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show (via EW), she reflected on the time she spent with Robin Williams, at first admitting that it was difficult for her to think of the actor because of the way his death upsets her. She said simply:

In the original Jumanji, a character played by Robin Williams is trapped in the titular game until he is released by two children who come across the board game years later. Dunst played one of the siblings who released the now grown Robin Williams.

However, while thinking about Robin Williams might initially make Kirsten Dunst sad, she also said that watching him on the set of Jumanji had a particular impact on her as an actress. His generosity extended to giving her a valuable gift, but she says it was the way he treated everybody that she took as a significant lesson on how to behave on set. Dunst explained:

Celebrities are used to being the most important people in any room they’re in, so how they treat those who are seen as less important is frequently judged. Kirsten Dunst said the way Williams treated the crew on Jumanji is how she learned that doing that was important.

Dunst's comments about Robin Williams echo those of basically everybody else who ever worked with him. The actors, who were children when they filmed Mrs. Doubtfire with Williams, have also talked about how nice he was to them, and how they learned a great deal from him. The same praise goes for the adults who have all praised Williams for both his professionalism as well as his humor. Though sometimes that humor apparently got to the point that it wasn't suitable for children. The set of a Robin Williams movie was never a dull place.

Kirsten Dunst clearly hasn’t forgotten her time working with Robin Williams on Jumanji. The franchise itself remembered Robin Williams, referring to the character Williams played in the reboot movie Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. A third movie in the reboot series, and fourth overall, was recently confirmed.

Channing Tatum has played a wide assortment of characters over the course of his career, from a troubled dancer to a cajun mutant with a thick accent. In his 2025 movie release, Roofman, Tatum plays Jeffrey Manchester, a former non-commissioned officer for the Army reserve who turns to a life of crime. During filming, Tatum had the opportunity to get to know the real Manchester and pick his brain. The actor discussed their relationship while speaking with CinemaBlend and explained how he empathizes with Jeff.

Whenever actors play real people, it’s natural for them to feel a sense of responsibility to tell a person’s story to the best of their ability. Channing Tatum seemed to take his role as Jeff Manchester very seriously, based on what he shared when he and co-star Kirsten Dunst spoke with CinemaBlend. When asked about his philosophy on how close an actor should get to a subject they’re playing, Tatum opened up about getting very anxious when playing his roles:

Manchester – famously known as the “Roofman” – gained notoriety for robbing McDonald’s restaurants and other establishments by infiltrating the locations via their roofs. Also, as covered in the film, which is directed by Derek Cianfrance, Manchester eventually took up residence in a Toys "R" Us store while evading the authorities. At present, the former officer is serving a 40-year prison sentence. Still, Tatum has positive sentiments to share about Manchester, and he also recalled an important conversation he had with him:

Channing Tatum’s comments more than indicate that he wanted to approach his portrayal as Jeffrey Manchester with plenty of care, and I’d nothing less from the actor who also beautifully played real-life wrestler Mark Schultz in Foxcatcher. In terms of playing Manchester, Tatum really committed, even going “butt naked” for a scene (and there’s a wild story about how it was shot). Needless to say, we’re talking about an actor who’s dedicated to their craft.

Speaking of dedicated performers, Kirsten Dunst also has experience playing real people, including actress Marion Davies and French queen Marie Antoinette. In Roofman, Dunst plays a variation of Leigh Wainscott – a woman who became romantically involved with Manchester. Like her co-star, Dunst also took her responsibility to Wainscott very seriously:

Such thoughtfulness from both Dunst and Channing Tatum is commendable, and is sure to shine through in their performances. Both stars are now linked to their film’s subjects due to their portrayals and, if Tatum’s comments are anything to go on, he’s happy to be connected to Jeff Manchester in that way. Check out Tatum’s performance as well as Dunst’s in Roofman, which is now playing in theaters.

In my household, October is usually reserved for all things spooky, and while there are some great upcoming horror films to satisfy that craving, the crime comedy Roofman seems to have something going for it. Hitting the 2025 movie calendar on October 10, it combines the charisma of Channing Tatum with the bizarre true story of Jeffrey Manchester’s crime spree that involved robbing McDonald's locations and hiding out in a Toys “R” Us store. So what are critics saying?

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month and got lots of people talking about Channing Tatum’s “butt naked” action scene, but what else is there to this movie based on a true story? Sophie Butcher of Empire gives it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it one of Channing Tatum’s best movies. It’s both gritty and heartfelt, the critic says, while giving us plenty of the Toys “R” Us shenanigans the audience craves. Butcher continues:

Fred Topel of UPI agrees that Channing Tatum’s charm carries the movie, which is entertaining if forgettable. Topel says:

David Rooney of THR also compliments the lead actor and Kirsten Dunst for their performances that charm but don’t tug too hard on the heartstrings. Rooney also says credit is due to the supporting cast of fully fleshed-out characters, which includes Ben Mendelsohn, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Uzo Aduba and Peter Dinklage. The critic writes:

Michael Calabro of IGN isn’t quite as taken with Roofman as a whole, arguing that despite the charismatic performances, the script plays out like an elevated Hallmark movie, with all of its best parts spoiled in the trailer. Calabro rates the movie an “Okay” 6 out of 10 and says:

Marya E. Gates of RogerEbert.com gives the movie 2 out of 4 stars, admitting she was under Channing Tatum’s charming spell until the end. Roofman has well-timed comedy, a romance and a little dancing from Tatum, but the titular criminal’s ultimate realization that his actions hurt the people that he loves falls flat. Gates explains:

It seems like if you’re looking for Channing Tatum to be his disarming, charismatic self, you won’t be disappointed in Roofman, but if what you seek is more of a dive into what drove former Army Reserve officer Jeffrey Manchester to this bizarre but fascinating crime spree, you may be left wanting.

Roofman is in theaters starting Friday, October 10.

Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy is what made me a fan of new superhero movies. For years, the scrapped fourth film has been my ultimate “what if”—the one sequel I’ve always wanted to see. And, lately, with all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's multiverse chaos, there’s been real buzz about Raimi and the original cast possibly being up for another round. Even Kirsten Dunst is game, and she’s got an A+ idea for how she and Tobey Maguire could return. I want it so bad I can taste it.

During an appearance on The Supes Show podcast on YouTube, Dunst was asked if she’d ever return as Mary Jane Watson. Her answer wasn’t just yes, but came with a bold new angle that makes all the spidey-sense in the world. She responded:

That’s right, Dunst is open to returning, especially if the story explores Peter and MJ as parents. Aging superheroes navigating family life is one of the most compelling angles out there. It would also be a natural evolution for the characters of that era, with their relationship already one of the most grounded and emotional in superhero films; adding the chaos of parenthood could take that depth even further. It also lines up with established comic lore and other Spidey media.

In some comics, and in Across the Spider-Verse, Peter and MJ have a daughter: Mayday Parker. She’s both sharp and fearless, and she's already swinging from webs as a toddler (thanks to Peter, who immediately regretted making her web-shooters). Picture Tobey Maguire’s Peter trying to keep up with a tiny superhero–or even a teenager–while MJ keeps the family from falling apart. It’s ripe for storytelling potential and, for Sam Raimi, it’s a rare shot to explore legacy and fatherhood in a Spider-Man film, a lane no one’s fully driven in yet.

After Tobey Maguire’s return in Spider-Man: No Way Home alongside the other Spideys, anything feels possible for his version of the character. Tom Holland’s Brand New Day is set to hit the 2026 movie schedule, and Stranger Things star Sadie Sink has been cast in a mysterious role. Some fans have speculated she might be playing a version of Mayday from another universe, possibly even the Raimi timeline. Is that likely? Probably not. But, if it turns out to be true, I’d be all in.

Now, with Dunst expressing interest and the idea of a “Spider-parents” storyline on the table, momentum is quietly building again. Writer Mattson Tomlin (of The Batman fame) recently revealed he’s actively trying to pitch Spider-Man 4—one that specifically explores Tobey’s Peter Parker balancing life as a husband and father. The writer took to his X account, writing:

That tracks. Stories about superhero parents are compelling, from Logan to Across the Spider-Verse to even Multiverse of Madness. Also, with the MCU’s multiverse still wide open, there’s no reason Sony couldn’t greenlight a legacy sequel that leans into this maturity aspect.

For now, Sony’s attention is on Tom Holland’s next new Spider-Man film, but I don't think that means a Sam Raimi continuation is off the table. Kirsten Dunst is ready. Mattson Tomlin’s ready. The fans are more than ready. It’s time to make it happen, because this is the closest Spider-Man 4 has come to being possible in over a decade.

While we wait—and hope—for any updates, Spider-Man fans will have to make do with rewatching the original trilogy and the newer MCU films, which are streaming with a Disney+ subscription.

Kirsten Dunst has been a very famous and respected actress since she was a wee child of 11 who starred in Interview with the Vampire with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. She’s starred in movies like The Virgin Suicides, Civil War, Hidden Figures, Bring It On, and The Power of the Dog (which netted her an Oscar nomination), and TV series like Fargo. So, one would reasonably think that her many fans and the innumerable number of people she’s worked with and been interviewed by over the decades would pronounce her name correctly, right? Well, apparently not! But, she’s just given us the lesson we’ve needed.

What Did Kirsten Dunst Say About People Pronouncing Her Name Wrong And What’s The Right Way To Say It?

A Minecraft Movie sequel’s hopeful star Kirsten Dunst has begun making the rounds to promote her 2025 movie schedule release, Roofman (also starring Channing Tatum), which means that lots of people will be saying her name in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, during a recent chat with Town & Country, the Spider-Man franchise lead has now revealed that many people have been saying her name wrong for the entire time she’s been famous. As she said:

I need to be honest here, folks. Not to brag, but I’ve totally been saying her name correctly this whole time. Yay me, right? While I will celebrate my intelligence with more caffeine in a bit, I do understand that sometimes people just can’t quite get others’ names right. I’ve had my name (Adrienne, pronounced A-dree-in) said in some truly wild ways over the years, so I do get it…but I also correct folks. Though, I will admit that if as many people said my name as the ones who’ve said Dunst’s name, I likely would have given up on that correction, as well.

This is hardly the first time we’ve heard that a celeb has spent years dealing with their name being messed up. There’s a whole list of famous folks whose names have been said wrong on the regular, like Rihanna and Zendaya, but others aren’t quite so obvious. This includes former James Bond actor Daniel Craig, who went viral not long ago for correcting the host’s pronunciation while appearing on a late night talk show.

Other long-established stars like Sister, Sister leads Tia and Tamera Mowry, Jake Gyllenhaal (who funnily talked out the pronunciation of his surname with Conan O’Brien), and Denzel Washington have admitted that we’ve all been getting their names WRONG forever. What are you gonna do? If you’re like Dunst and a lot of these other stars…man, you just let it go.

We still have a ways to go with new releases on the 2025 movies schedule, and one upcoming film will bring Oscar nominee Kirsten Dunst back to the big screen (in Roofman with Channing Tatum) for the first time since starring in last year’s Civil War. Though the actress has been in mega-hits like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man franchise, she’s also known for artier fare like the previously mentioned war movie and Marie Antoinette. So, her pitching herself for a Minecraft sequel is truly unexpected, but I do adore her honest reasoning for the idea.

What Did Kirsten Dunst Say About Wanting To Do A Minecraft Movie 2?

It’s probably fair to say that Kirsten Dunst has been pretty lucky during her time as an actor. After Interview with the Vampire (and her understandably “gross” kiss with Brad Pitt) launched her to stardom at only 11, she’s gone on to become one of our most recognizable stars. Of course, the leading lady is also tremendously talented, which is why she’s landed roles in critically acclaimed movies like Little Women, The Virgin Suicides, Midnight Special, and The Power of the Dog over the decades, along with making hits like Bring It On and Hidden Figures.

While speaking about her career with Town & Country recently, she opened up about her desire to direct, but wanting to “maybe” hold off before taking on such “an all-encompassing job” until “​​when I’m in my sixties.” She’d like to continue to avoid “sad mom” roles by filming bonkers movies like Reptilia with Mikey Madison and upcoming social satire,The Entertainment System Is Down, with Keanu Reeves. The mom of two also noted that she’d rather enjoy starring in Minecraft 2, seeing as how her kids loved the first film, and added:

WOW. First of all, even though Dunst hasn’t exactly spent the last several years making one box office blockbuster after another, is she actually, technically, losing money when she films projects like The Two Faces of January and The Beguiled? If so, that’s wild, and she should probably look into what’s happening there.

Having said that, I do get where she’s coming from. There are probably few parents who don’t have at least some interest in wanting their kids to know about what they do for a living. When you’re an actor with children who are still under 10, you’d probably like for them to be able to actually watch something you’ve done, and what better way for that to happen than with a sequel to A Minecraft Movie, which is one of the biggest hits of 2025 so far? Sure, she could show them her Spider-Man movies, but maybe they aren’t ready for that just yet.

Speaking of money, if she wants to make herself a decent haul, getting in on what appears to be a critic-proof franchise tailor-made for youngsters like her adoring sons is a good way to go. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with gettin’ your dollars straight, so hopefully we can all look forward to Dunst’s wish coming true.

Although Mikey Madison has been professionally acting for over a decade, much of the world was introduced to her last year in the romantic comedy-drama Anora, where she played the title character. That role netted her the Oscar for Best Actress at the 97th Academy Awards, among numerous accolades, but until today, it was unclear what movie she’d be tackling next. Wonder about that no longer, as word’s come in that Madison will co-star with Kirsten Dunst in an upcoming thriller with a bonkers premise.

Madison and Dunst will Reptilia, which Alejandro Landes Echavarría is directing, as well as co-writing with Duke Merriman and producing through his A STELA CINE banner. Per the synopsis shared by THR, the story follows “a dental hygienist seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade.” Ok, that is a wild description, and even though I’m not much of a thriller guy, I must learn more about this story.

This news follows just a few weeks after Mikey Madison allegedly turn down a part in the upcoming Star Wars movie Star Wars: Starfighter, which will star Ryan Gosling. The actress still has yet to public comment about this, but evidently something appealed to her about Reptilia that she had to be part of this mermaid-fueled craziness. While Madison’s role wasn’t disclosed in the article, it’s probably a safe bet to assume that she’d be playing this mysterious mermaid.

Along with Anora, which can be streamed with a Hulu subscription, Madison’s other film credits include Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the animated Addams Family movie and 2022’s Scream. She also starred opposite Louis C.K. in the FX sitcom Better Things, and was one of the lead actresses in the Apple TV+ subscription-exclusive miniseries Lady in the Lake. Most recently, she was the host of the same Saturday Night Live episode where musical guest Morgan Waller abruptly walked off stage.

As for Kirsten Dunst, she was most recently seen in the A24 film Civil War, and she’ll be back on the big screen in October when Paramount’s Roofman opens on the 2025 movies schedule. Behind the scenes on Reptilia, Pastel, Imperative Entertainment and AF Films are the other production companies attached to this flick, and Black Bear is financing it, with the goal being to set up a sale at the Cannes Film Market. Filming is expected to begin this fall.

We’ll keep our eyes peeled for updates concerning Reptilia, including which actors will be joining Mikey Madison and Kirsten Dunst on the project, as well as when it will be released to the public. The sooner we learn about mermaids and their role in Flordia’s exotic animal trade, the better.

Even though Spider-Man has seen a lot of big-screen iterations across the past two decades, Tobey Maguire's version of the character is most definitely counted among the best Spider-Man movies we've ever seen. To pay tribute to the first trilogy of movies starring the beloved Marvel Comics character, here are the best quotes from Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies from the '00s.

“Remember, with great power comes great responsibility.” - Uncle Ben, Spider-Man

There's of course no quote more iconic for the Spider-Man character than this one. The phrase was first used in the Spider-Man comics in a 1962 issue written by Stan Lee as part of the last panel of the comic, initially without ties to Uncle Ben. The connection of the quote with Peter and his uncle came later. And, Michael Sheen made the quote especially unforgettable in the first 2002 movie when he imparts some wisdom about growing up to Peter just hours before his untimely death. The quote ultimately helps create Spider-Man.

"I believe there’s a hero in all of us. That keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble, and finally, allows us to die with pride. Even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most – even our dreams." - Aunt May, Spider-Man 2

Rosemary Harris' Aunt May established herself as a particularly perspective figure in the first movie, but her best quote comes in the middle of Spider-Man 2. In the plot line that has Peter Parker giving up his role as Spidey, May gives the hero a pep talk, without even knowing it. The powerful moment happens when Peter's young neighbor asks Peter where Spider-Man is and if he'll come back while helping Aunt May move.

"You know, I guess one person can make a difference." - Stan Lee, Spider-Man 3

There were a lot of great Stan Lee cameos during his lifetime, but one of the most special has to be when he crosses paths with Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker during Spider-Man 3. The creator of the comic book character has had a lot of funny appearances in Marvel movies over the years, but this is one of the most earnest of them as he says, "One person can make a difference."

“You know who I am. Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!” - Spider-Man, Spider-Man

"Your friendly neighborhood Spider-man" is a famous phrase the hero says in the comic books, and in 2002's Spider-Man, Tobey Maguire's version gets to say it himself. In a scene where he saves Mary Jane Watson for the first time at the Thanksgiving Parade, she asks him who she is and this is how he responds.

“Being brilliant is not enough, young man. You have to work hard. Intelligence is not a privilege, it’s a gift. And, you use it for the good of mankind.” - Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2

Early in Spider-Man 2, the movie establishes Alfred Molina's Otto Octavius as a brilliant mind who Peter Parker looks up to. Prior to the nuclear physicist becoming the movie's villain, he meets with Parker for a college paper he is writing. During their first conversation, he imparts wisdom about how it's not enough to be a smart person, one has to use their gifts for good things.

“If he doesn’t want to be famous, I’ll make him infamous!” - J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man

In the Spider-Man universe, J. Jonah Jameson is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle, who is content with painting Spider-Man as a villain, likely to sell more papers. In one particularly memorable quote from the first 2002 appearance of the comic book character played by J.K. Simmons, he declares he wants to make Spider-Man "infamous." The character is so beloved he returned for Tom Holland's version.

“The cunning warrior attacks neither body nor mind. The heart, Osborn! First we attack his heart.” - Green Goblin, Spider-Man

In the first Spider-Man movie, the hero faces a formidable foe in Norman Osborn's Green Goblin. The fantastic Willem Dafoe plays the character almost like a rendition of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In one scene, as Norman realizes Peter Parker is Spider-Man, the Green Goblin instructs that he defeats the hero by going after his "heart" which includes terrorizing both Aunt May and Mary Jane in the third act of the movie.

“You have a knack for saving my life." - Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man

The most famous scene in the first Spider-Man trilogy is when Mary Jane Watson shares a kiss with Spidey while he's hanging upside down. It happens right after the hero says she has a "knack for getting into trouble" and she responds to the above quote. She asks if she can thank him for saving her the second time and they have a romantic moment in the rain. However, Kirsten Dunst's own experience with the scene was "kind of miserable" considering the pouring rain of it all.

“No matter what I do. No matter how hard I try. The ones I love will always be the ones who pay.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man

At the end of the first Spider-Man movie, Peter Parker wins the heart of Mary Jane Watson after she was previously with Flash Thompson and Harry Osborn in the transition between high school and college. Despite Peter's longing for Mary Jane and her confession of love, the first movie ends with Peter saying he can only be friends with her before a narration has the character sharing his fears as a hero.

“Love should never be a secret. If you keep something as complicated as love stored up inside, it can make you sick.” - Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2

In the Spider-Man trilogy, Peter Parker has been in love with Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane Watson since they became neighbors as kids. However, when he becomes Spider-Man he makes a decision that he cannot pursue her romantically because it would put her in danger. When Peter meets Otto early in the movie, he insinuates there's a girl he likes (MJ of course) but hasn't made it known. Otto suggests he should let her know with poetry.

“Hey kiddo, let mom and dad talk for a minute, will ya?” - Spider-Man, Spider-Man

In Spider-Man, J. Jonah Jameson's sharp tongue gets in the way of a squabble Spider-Man and Green Goblin are having at the Daily Bugle. It leads Spider-Man to hilariously use his webbing to trap Jameson's mouth shut and continue forth fighting his foe.

“I’m Spider-Man no more. No more.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 2

In a 1967 issue of The Amazing Spiderman. the Marvel hero decides to be "Spider-Man No More!" in an iconic comic book cover. And in Sam Raimi's 2004 movie, Peter Parker emulates the issue by deciding to hang up his heroics and be a regular guy again. When Peter Parker says this in the movie, it's an awesome tribute to the comic books. The themes of the movie particularly continue to resonate because of how relatable it is to see Spidey struggle with all the responsibilities of life.

"Uncle Ben meant the world to us, but he wouldn’t want us living one second with revenge in our hearts. It’s like a poison, it can take you over. Before you know it, turn us into something ugly." - Aunt May, Spider-Man 3

In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker's personality takes a turn when an alien symbiote attaches to him. This happens as he learns the true killer behind Uncle Ben's death is alive and on the loose in New York City. After Peter thinks he has killed Flint Marko / Sandman, he tells Aunt May proudly that Spider-Man has done so. However, Aunt May preaches how she would never want revenge on her late husband, much to Peter's initial dismay.

“So here I am standing in your doorway. I’ve always been standing in your doorway. Isn’t it about time somebody saved your life?” - Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man 2

The end of Spider-Man 2 almost acts as our favorite romantic comedy. During the finale, Mary Jane, who has recently learned that Peter Parker is Spider-Man decides to walk out on her own wedding and show up at his door in her wedding dress to tell him that she doesn't care about the risk of being Spider-Man's girlfriend, because she wants to be there for him. It's the sweetest moment.

“But the one thing they love more than a hero is to see a hero fail, fall. Die trying. In spite of everything you’ve done for them, eventually they will hate you. Why bother?” - Green Goblin, Spider-Man

While the Sam Raimi movies have some powerful superhero quotes, there's also a good amount of great ones from villains that describe their side of things. Such as when Green Goblin tries to convince Spider-Man to join him in his evil plots by sharing how the people he fights for will turn against him. This is certainly true for Goblin's alter ego Norman Osborn, who was recently ousted from his company amidst his villainous turn. As the trilogy shows time and time again, Spider-Man always has kind strangers who stand up for him.

"The truth is, you don’t know what you feel, except you know what kind of man you want to be. It’s as if you’ve reached the unreachable, and you weren’t ready for it.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man

When Aunt May gets hospitalized by the Green Goblin in Spider-Man, Mary Jane visits her and Peter Parker. During a memorable scene for the pair, Peter Parker shares his feelings for his longtime next-door neighbor by sharing how looking in her eyes makes him feel. It feels like the moment MJ really sees and falls for Peter.

“Did Edison sleep before he turned on the light? Did Marconi sleep before he turned on the radio? Did Beethoven sleep before he wrote the Fifth?" - Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2

Prior to Otto Octavius becoming Doc Ock, the nuclear physicist shows his excitement for his fusion reactor experiment by comparing his presentation of his turning on his invention to Thomas Edison turning on the lightbulb and so forth. Little does he know it will fail and turn him into Spider-Man's latest adversary.

“I have a father. His name was Ben Parker.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man

At the end of Spider-Man, Peter Parker / Spider-Man learns that Green Goblin has been Norman Osborn the whole time. in a last-ditch effort to exterminate Spidey, Norman acts like he needs help from him because he's like a father to him. However, it becomes a sweet moment instead when Peter declares the late Uncle Ben was his father. It's a great callback moment because right before he died, Peter suggested he shouldn't act like his father when he is not.

"You start by doing the hardest thing. You forgive yourself." - Aunt May, Spider-Man 3

Peter Parker goes in a dark place over the course of Spider-Man 3 that leads him to really treat Mary Jane in particular poorly. In one scene he even tries to make her jealous by taking Gwen Stacy to the jazz club she is working at and showing off in front of her. The scene leads to Peter accidentally slapping his ex-girlfriend. When he opens up to Aunt May about feeling bad about his actions, she suggests he must forgive himself before he can do anything else. Aunt May always knows what to say!

“Planning is not a major at this university.” - Dr. Connor, Spider-Man 2

Early in Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker is having a hard time juggling being a superhero and a regular guy. His professor, Dr. Connor, gives him a reality check when he throws back his words of "planning" to do something as something that will not help him succeed. The words hit deep for Peter, and ultimately he tries to not be Spider-Man in order to get back on track.

“He's just a kid.” - Random New Yorker, Spider-Man 2

In one of the best scenes in the Spider-Man trilogy, Spider-Man saves a train full of citizens from Doc Ock, but in the meantime exposes his identity to them. As they all gaze on his face, one New Yorker comments about how the hero is "just a kid." It's an emotional quote because it shows that the city probably doesn't imagine that Spider-Man is basically a teenager.

“There’s only one man who’s always been there for me, who makes me feel like I’m more than I ever thought I could be. That I’m just me… and that’s OK. The truth is I love you. Oh, I love you so much Peter.” - Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man

At the end of Spider-Man, while Peter and friends are attending the funeral of Norman Osborn, Mary Jane confesses her love for him with these romantic words. However, she's met with deep disappointment and rejection when Peter suggests he can only be her friend.

“Follow the cold shiver running down your spine.” - Green Goblin, Spider-Man

During Spider-Man, Willem Dafoe's Norman Osborn does an incredible job of going between playing Osborn and the Goblin. One great quote from the character is when his bad side tells Norman to follow the "cold shiver" running down his spine to find him.

“Listen to me now.” - Otto Octavius, Spider-Man 2

At the end of Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man / Peter Parker successfully gets Otto to snap out of his villainous tendencies by knocking some sense into him. It leads to a powerful sequence where Otto asks his robotic tentacle arms to listen to him instead, and therein Otto stops his own plot from likely destroying the city, declaring he will not become a "monster".

"You don’t understand, I’m not an empty seat anymore. I’m different. Punch me, I bleed." - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 2

In the middle of Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker hangs up being Spider-Man and tries to be there for MJ by going to her play and making time for her. While the mutual feelings are certainly there, one can't blame MJ for feeling burned after he rejected her love. However, Peter makes a case that he's "different" and wants to try with her now.

“Do you love me or not?” - Mary Jane Watson, Spider-Man 2

The Spider-Man trilogy takes great pleasure in the frustrating push and pull of Peter Parker and MJ, mostly at the cost of MJ due to her being in the dark about why he keeps shutting her out of her life. In one famous scene in the movie when they get coffee, MJ boils it down by blunting asking if he loves her or not. She was tired of the mixed signals, and rightfully so.

"Call Deborah. Tell her not to open the caviar." - J. Jonah Jameson, Spider-Man 2

J. Jonah Jameson almost becomes Mary Jane's father-in-law in Spider-Man 2 until she runs out on her own wedding to be with Peter Parker. In a funny moment, Jameson turns to her wife to make sure the caterer knows not to open the expensive caviar he shelled out for the reception. The editor-in-chief is known to be a penny pincher, so it's so on-brand.

Where do all these guys come from?” - Spider-Man, Spider-Man 3

In Spider-Man 3, Spidey comes head-to-head with Sandman for the first time early in the movie. When he finds himself emptying out his suit with sand, he questions where all the random villains he fights come from, and it's so hilarious! Spider-Man has defeated some wild villains in his heyday.

"There are bigger things happening here than me and you." - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 2

After the events of Spider-Man, the hero finds an enemy in Harry Osborn, who believes he killed his father and makes his mission to avenge him. He is almost successful with the help of Doc Ock until he finds out that Spider-Man is Peter Parker. While Harry becomes caught up with the matters of his late father, the reveal comes as Otto has MJ and is about to set off his powerful and dangerous experiment, and stops Harry from saying these words.

“I’m gonna put some dirt in your eye.“ - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 3

In Spider-Man 3, Peter Parker starts acting nasty thanks to the Venom symbiote that attaches to him. This manifests itself through Peter's competition with another photographer, Eddie Brock. When Eddie publishes a fake photograph of Spider-Man in a black suit, he says this.

"It’s the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what’s right." - Peter Parker, Spider-Man 3

While the end of the Spider-Man movies didn't end in a way we like (though we still have hope for Spider-Man 4 with Tobey Maguire/Sam Raimi), it did end with a solid quote about how we, no matter who we are, have the power to choose to do what's right rather than go the way of the villain. In the context of the movie, Peter Parker's journey ends with the funeral of his best friend, Harry, who worked alongside him as a fellow hero right before his death, after previously letting vengeance into his heart.

“No thanks, I had a bite.” - Peter Parker, Spider-Man

The Spider-Man script goes the punny route when Peter Parker is initially bitten by a radioactive spider, which turns him into a hero. After the field trip occurs that changes his life, he's not feeling so hot. When he returns home, his Aunt and Uncle ask if he wants some dinner, but under his breath, he says he's already "had a bite."

The original Jumanji, which came out in 1995, still stands as one of the best classic family films of all time. A young Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Hunt and, of course, the late Robin Williams leading the craziest board game any of us have ever seen (and some of his best lines in movies) can be found here. The book-turned-movie cemented its place in Hollywood and the fictitious world came back in 2017, but sans any of the original lineup. It turns out there’s a more complicated reason why none of the main OGs have returned so far.

Jake Kasdan, director of the modern-day franchise, chatted with The Hollywood Reporter about his holiday action movie, Red One (which also stars Dwayne Johnson) as well as the wild world of Jumanji. Specifically, Kasdan shared why the likes of Dunst, Hunt and even Bradley Pierce (Peter) haven’t been approached. It’s more a storyline issue than anything else, with Kasdan saying:

This bit of information does clear up a lot for those who loved the classic Jumanji and have always wondered why that cast hadn’t been included in the new movies. Although, as the Bad Teacher director shared, they’ve always been aware of continuities they incorporated into the return, including a small cameo by an OG.

With all of the complications of the original’s ending, The Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story director is committed to weaving the worlds together. He shared that Aunt Nora, played by Bebe Neuwirth, made a cameo in The Next Level. It is heartening to see that Kasdan and crew are indeed sticking true to the story’s roots. He shared of the intentional incorporations:

It’ll be exciting to see what goes down in the confirmed fourth movie, now knowing Kasdan’s full dedication to respecting and looking at the ‘95 film for inspiration and ways to work the world ever closer. I am hoping to see more vintage characters dotted throughout the new series, ideally Dunst or Hunt, but I would even take the unhinged big game hunter, Hunter Van Pelt (played by Jonathan Hyde). I’m sure whatever the nod will be this time, it’ll be done with care.

Jumanji 4 is set to release on December 11, 2026. While we don’t know much of what will be going down in this leg, we have some guesses based on what’s previously happened. I’m just glad to have a more definitive answer as to why we haven’t seen some of the stars that launched the series in the first place. Hopefully Kasdan has an even clearer path to uniting both worlds if the franchise continues beyond four installments.

You can watch the classic 1995 Jumanji on Tubi for free or with an AMC+ subscription. Or, if you’re a little scared by the OG, catch the modern-day franchise with a Hulu subscription.

In our lifetimes, the only turn of a century we’ve witnessed is the move from the 1990s to the 2000s. It was an exciting time in the world of Hollywood, between superhero franchises like the Spider-Man and X-Men trilogies making comic books mainstream and adaptations of book series like Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter films becoming some of the biggest blockbusters of the decade. But, many of the best movies of the 2000s wouldn’t have been possible without the star power of several actors of the time. 

In celebration of an incredible decade in movies, we chose the quintessential film of 32 actors of the 2000s. Check it out: 

Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl)

Johnny Depp was unquestionably one of the biggest stars of the 2000s after previously making a name for himself throughout the 1990s, most notably with his work with Tim Burton and in the independent film space. Looking back, the No. 1 movie of his was his debut as Captain Jack Sparrow in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in 2003. The actor helped create the best fumbling pirate we’ve ever seen before, going on to make four more of its kind. Fans are still talking about this movie and even writing and signing petitions for the actor to reprise the role. 

Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge!)

Nicole Kidman was one of the most in demand actresses of the 2000s, so much so that she did an average of three movies a year across the first half of it. Her greatest movie of the decade is actually the first of them from that time period: Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! The jukebox musical was a commercial success, award season darling and we’ll always go back to her role as Satine. 

Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) 

After Robert Downey Jr. was in the public eye for addiction-related setbacks, he found a way to make a comeback throughout the 2000s with a ton of great movies like Zodiac, Good Night and Good Luck and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. But the best of the best was his turn as Iron Man in 2008. 

Samuel L. Jackson (Unbreakable) 

Samuel L. Jackson was a major fixture of the 1990s, between saying “Hold onto your butts!” in Jurassic Park, starring in Pulp Fiction or starring with Bruce Willis in Die Hard with a Vengeance. His prominence as an actor remained strong in the 2000s with all sorts of roles, including as Mace Windu in Star Wars, but his greatest is in M. Night Shyamalan’s unique superhero film, Unbreakable. 

Scarlett Johansson (Lost In Translation)

Scarlett Johansson was a major star in the 2010s, especially as an Avenger, but she really blossomed into this throughout the 2000s, between movies like Ghost World, Match Point, The Island or The Prestige. The performance that really carried the audience’s love for her throughout the decade was in Sofia Coppola’s Lost In Translation alongside Bill Murray, where they play unlikely friends who meet in Tokyo. 

 Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness)

After Will Smith had a hugely successful decade in the '90s between Bad Boys, Independence Day and being The Fresh Prince, Smith notably took his career a step further in the 2000s. He took on a number of more dramatic roles like Ali and Seven Pounds during this time that deserved the actor an Oscar, but there’s no movie more special than 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness. In the film, he helped tell the true story of a homeless salesman and his son. 

Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde)

“What, like it’s hard?” Of course, the defining Reese Witherspoon movie of the 2000s is Legally Blonde! The 2001 movie continues to be one of the most quotable comedies and Elle Woods is a beloved heroine in modern pop culture. As a whole, Witherspoon was serving throughout the decade by also starring in things like the Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line or the rom-coms Sweet Home Alabama and Just Like Heaven.

Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds)

The 2000s was a huge decade of career expansion for Brad Pitt after his heartthrob beginnings in critically-acclaimed '90s flicks such as Interview with a Vampire, Seven, Fight Club. The cream of the crop for a very busy Pitt during this time has to be Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, where he played Lt. Aldo Raine in an alternate history story about World War II. 

Jim Carrey (Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind)

The stardom of Jim Carrey was deep in the fixture of 2000s movies through a ton of big movies like How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Bruce Almighty or Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. But one of the actor’s most dramatic roles, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, stands as his best of the decade. The sci-fi romance imagines a world where one could have a procedure to forget their ex, and asks big questions about memory and love. 

Kate Hudson (Almost Famous) 

Kate Hudson has called Almost Famous “the beginning of everything” for her, and it really was career-wise for the actress. When the movie came out in 2000, it started a massive decade for her that would have her in flicks like How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days, The Skeleton Key and Nine among a ton of roles. The Cameron Crowe movie had Hudson playing Penny Lane, a groupie of a '70s band. 

Tom Hanks (Cast Away)

The 2000s marked Tom Hanks third decade as a movie star and it was another solid time for the actor, particularly for more serious roles. While there are a lot of close contenders like Road To Perdition, Catch Me If You Can and The Terminal, his greatest movie of that time was Cast Away. Hanks gives an all-time performance as a man who gets stranded on an island alone. We never knew we could cry over a volleyball before the 2000 movie. 

Meryl Streep (Mamma Mia!)

Meryl Streep turned 50 in 1999. While that historically has spelled bad news for female actors in Hollywood, Streep proved she could still be one of the biggest stars in her middle-aged years with a ton of performances in the 2000s. From Adaptation to The Hours, The Devil Wear Prada, Lions For Lambs, Doubt, Julie & Julia, Fantastic Mr. Fox and It’s Complicated, this time was an embarrassment of riches for the actress, but if we had to pick one, the iconic Mamma Mia! is the one we’re still singing all the words to. 

Denzel Washington (Training Day)

Denzel Washington’s place as one of the most impressive living actors was apparent in the 2000s through a productive decade full of critically-acclaimed performances. The ultimate Washington movie of the time we’ve chosen is 2001’s Training Day, which in turn earned him his second Oscar win. But, the actor made a ton of great hits during this time like Remember The Titans, Antwone Fisher, Man on Fire, Inside Man, American Gangster and The Great Debaters. 

Tom Cruise (Minority Report) 

After Tom Cruise starred in movies like Rain Man, Top Gun, the first Mission: Impossible and Magnolia in the '80s and '90s, he continued to be a major actor into the 2000s with a ton of fresh roles. His best of the decade is arguably one of his two collaborations with Steven Spielberg, Minority Report. The sci-fi flick has Cruise’s character on the run for a crime he has not committed in an imagined 2054. 

Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich)

Julia Roberts made a string of romantic comedies in the ‘90s, but when the new century came along, she diversified her career with a lot more dramatic roles. Her best movie during this time was in 2000’s Erin Brockovich. The biographical movie from Steven Soderbergh about groundwater contamination also earned Roberts an Oscar for Best Actress. 

Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity) 

It felt like Matt Damon was in all the movies back in the 2000s after he and Ben Affleck wowed Hollywood with Good Will Hunting in 1997. The actor was in 20 movies across this decade, but the best of them was 2002's action thriller The Bourne Identity. He would go on to star in an entire trilogy as Jason Bourne. 

Leonardo DiCaprio (Catch Me If You Can) 

Leonardo DiCaprio became a verified movie star when he said “I’m king of the world!” in 1997’s Titanic. As he moved into his mid-twenties and thirties in the 2000s, he started working closely with Martin Scorsese in a series of movies (Gangs Of New York, The Aviator and The Departed). However, his best comes from Steven Spielberg with Catch Me If You Can. The biographical crime comedy had DiCaprio playing a con man alongside Tom Hanks. 

Kirsten Dunst (Marie Antoinette)

Kirsten Dunst got her start as a child actor in the '90s in movies such as Jumanji and Interview with a Vampire before starring in films like The Virgin Suicides and Drop Dead Gorgeous at the tail end of the '90s. Dunst officially became an adult in the 2000s and made tons of movies, from being Mary-Jane Watson in the Spider-Man movies to being in Bring It On. Her second collaboration with Sofia Coppola as the famed French archduchess is her best work of the decade. 

Adam Sandler (Punch-Drunk Love)

Even though the 2000s didn’t quite top Adam Sandler’s amazing Saturday Night Live star into movie star turn, he was in all sorts of memorable movies in the 2000s. The one that sticks out the most is his collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson with 2002’s Punch-Drunk Love. Unlike his screwball comedies, it’s an earnest rom-com that may not have been popular, but it is unforgettable. 

Will Ferrell - Anchorman

Will Ferrell’s acting career really took off in the 2000s in a massive way. He left Saturday Night Live in 2002 after seven seasons on the sketch show and became one of the funniest Hollywood movie stars. His most hilarious leading role has to be in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, where he played a 1970s news host. 

George Clooney (Ocean’s Eleven)

It’s not easy to choose the best George Clooney role of the 2000s given the sheer amount of solid movies he starred in at the time. From his Coen Brothers’ movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? to his Oscar-winning role in Syriana. But, it simply wouldn’t have been the 2000s without Clooney leading the pack in Ocean’s Eleven (and the trilogy it became). He’s effortlessly cool as the master plotter of a casino heist. 

Gwyneth Paltrow (The Royal Tenenbaums) 

Paltrow was in a load of films during this decade, coming off her Oscar win in Shakespeare In Love. But, among a cast including Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston and Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Margot stole the show and therefore finds a spot as her No.1 2000s role. 

Halle Berry (Monster's Ball) 

The 2000s was an iconic moment for Halle Berry, who became Storm in X-Men and starred in Catwoman and as a Bond girl in Die Another Day. Her best role is her Oscar-winning lead in 2001’s Monster’s Ball. The movie is about a widower who unknowingly begins a relationship with a corrections officer who assisted in the execution of her late husband. 

Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) 

Christian Bale started the 2000s as the star of American Psycho and ended it as the star of Michael Mann’s Public Enemies alongside Johnny Depp. But unquestionably, Bale’s performance in one of the most seminal movies of the 2000s, The Dark Knight, is our pick. His second outing as Bruce Wayne/Batman is elevated when Heath Ledger’s haunting Joker struts into Gotham. 

Jennifer Garner (13 Going On 30) 

During the 2000s, Jennifer Garner became famous for starring in the TV show Alias. But at the same time, she established herself as a movie star, too. What caught our hearts the most was her role in 13 Going On 30 alongside Mark Ruffalo. It’s a blast to see the actress play a teen in an adult’s body. 

Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder) 

The 2000s had Ben Stiller becoming a movie star in his own right, between the hilarious Meet The Parents in 2000, to Zoolander and Along Came Polly. His best movie of this era was one he wrote, directed and starred in. Tropic Thunder is a hilarious satirical action comedy with a star-studded cast that we’re still laughing about over a decade later. 

Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind) 

After becoming a familiar face for his roles in the '90s, Russell Crowe became an all-time great actor of the 2000s by starring in Gladiator, Cinderella Man, American Gangster, Master and Commander and 3:10 To Yuma. If you’ve seen his performance in 2001’s A Beautiful Mind, you likely never forgot Crowe’s inspired performance as schizophrenic mathematician John Nash. 

Nicolas Cage (Adaptation) 

Nicolas Cage’s third decade in movies was a busy one that had him in more big-budget movies than ever between National Treasure and Ghost Rider, but Spike Jonze’s Adaptation takes the prize as he played twin brothers, one struggling with writer’s block and the other deciding to copy his brother’s ambitions.

Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice) 

Keira Knightley turned fifteen when the 21st century began, but it wasn’t long before she became a movie star – leading movies like Bend it Like Beckham, Pirates of the Caribbean and Love, Actually. The defining Knightley performance of her first decade as a big-screen actress was in the film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. 

Jack Black (School of Rock) 

Jack Black had a massive decade in movies in the 2000s, but one cannot forget how perfect he was in the role of Dewey Finn in School of Rock. The 2003 movie allowed the actor to flex his musician muscles and unique charm as he played a failed rock star turned imposter substitute teacher. 

Drew Barrymore (50 First Dates)

Drew Barrymore had the chance to come into her own as a movie star in her adulthood in the 2000s following being a child actor in films like E.T. and Firestarter. She had an awesome decade that included Charlie’s Angels, He’s Just Not That Into You and Whip It, but her role with Adam Sandler as a forgetful love interest remains one of her best and most hilarious (yet heartwarming) roles. 

Hugh Jackman (The Prestige) 

Hugh Jackman started his career in theater in the '90s, but in the 2000s he quickly became a big star. Sure, he became Wolverine for the first time in the X-Men movies, played Van Helsing and starred in Kate & Leopold, but it was particularly special to see his role in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige. He’s amazing as a magician who feuds with Christian Bale’s character over the ultimate magic trick. 

Anyone else feeling nostalgic for the decade of the 2000s, now? It was an amazing time for great movies and the movie stars we saw everywhere like the people above. 

Sometimes, all it takes is one joint appearance in a movie or television show for two popular actors to become known as an acting duo, and sometimes they prove to work so well together that they go on to star in even more projects together. We’ve come up with a list of 32 acting duos who have worked together multiple times, so you can see if you’ve watched all of the times these talented stars have been on screen with each other.

Tina Fey And Amy Poehler

Obviously, this funny duo began their most famed time together while starring on Saturday Night Live, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler didn’t let the good times end there. The women were both in Mean Girls, starred in the movies Baby Mama and Sisters, and used their talents to great effect when co-hosting the Golden Globe Awards for several years.

Robert De Niro And Al Pacino

Two legendary actors make for a legendary acting duo, and while Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are frequently mentioned in the same breath, they’ve only been featured in four films together. Two of those movies, however, are absolutely the reason people often talk about them together as they count The Godfather Part II, Heat, Righteous Kill and The Irishman as their joint efforts.

Julia Roberts And George Clooney

Now, these two actually have made quite a few movies with one another, and largely with both in on-screen roles. Of course, it’s hard to forget that George Clooney and Julia Roberts are in all three of the Ocean’s Eleven films, but they’ve also starred in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (which Clooney also directed), Money Monster and the 2022 rom-com Ticket to Paradise. The erstwhile Danny Ocean also produced August: Osage County, while Roberts starred.

Jane Fonda And Lily Tomlin

Frequently we see an acting duo together multiple times because they really are buddies in real life, and that’s true for Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. After first starring together in the 1980 hit 9 to 5 (with Dolly Parton, of course) they eventually re-teamed for the Netflix series Grace and Frankie (which ran for seven seasons), as well as the dark comedy Moving On and 80 for Brady.

Emma Stone And Ryan Gosling

This duo has produced some well-known and beloved comedies and dramas over the years, as Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling first starred together in Crazy, Stupid, Love in 2011, moving on to Gangster Squad in 2013 and the Oscar-winning musical La La Land in 2016. Stone even once said she couldn’t “imagine” her life without Gosling, so these two will probably be friends forever.

Salma Hayek And Antonio Banderas

Salma Hayek and Antonio Banderas sharing the screen in Desperado caused considerable heat, along with igniting a very real friendship, so it’s no surprise that they’ve now worked together a number of times. They’ve also been in the casts of Four Rooms, Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Spy Kids 3: Game Over, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard and both Puss in Boots animated movies. That’s a lot!

Dwayne Johnson And Kevin Hart

We’ve already born witness to a rather lengthy history of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart ripping on each other during their (apparently) laugh and roast-filled friendship, and the two megastars have, indeed, brought that chemistry to the big screen multiple times. The duo counts Central Intelligence, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and its sequel, Hobbs & Shaw and DC League of Super-Pets as the titles they’ve appeared in together.

Matt Damon And Ben Affleck

If this isn’t a classic acting duo by now, there are none. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been “bizarrely close” friends since childhood, and they first joined forces to great effect by penning and starring in Good Will Hunting (after having both appeared in School Ties), which won them the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. They also worked on Dogma in the 1990s, then, after nearly 25 years, they joined forces again to write and star in The Last Duel, and since then have also worked together on Air and the upcoming RIP for Netflix.

Denzel Washington And Don Cheadle

If only these two powerhouse stars had already been in more movies together…Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle’s first pairing was as P.I. Easy Rawlins and his loyal but unpredictable friend, Mouse, in 1995’s Devil in a Blue Dress. While their work in the film garnered critical acclaim, it would be over 15 years before they teamed again for Flight.

Sanaa Lathan And Taye Diggs

We should never underestimate the power of a franchise when it comes to popular on-screen pairings. Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs appeared in The Wood together in 1999 and then went on to star in The Best Man, its sequel and the Peacock mini-series, The Best Man: The Final Chapters. The duo also played the lead couple in the rom-com, Brown Sugar in 2002.

Scarlett Johansson And Chris Evans

Co-starring in a franchise with the same people will take an acting duo far, but Scarlett Johansson and Chris Evans have surpassed even the typical standard where that’s concerned. Thanks to their joint time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they’ve appeared in a whopping seven movies together (including their mid-end credits cameo in Captain Marvel), and prior to their time as blockbuster movie-making superheroes they starred in The Perfect Score and The Nanny Diaries, bringing their current total to nine.

Anthony Mackie And Chris Evans

If you did enjoy many of those MCU movies, then you know that Chris Evans rubbed elbows with Anthony Mackie quite a bit there. But, did you also know that the two have been in XX non-Marvel movies together? Playing It Cool, What’s Your Number, and Ghosted also star/feature both actors and if you add in all their shared time in tights on screen, their total is also at nine.

Emily Blunt And Dwayne Johnson

The first time was a hit, so why not join forces again, right? Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson famously delivered winning chemistry in Jungle Cruise, and are coming back together for the upcoming drama The Smashing Machine. The two are also said to be willing to return for Jungle Cruise 2, whenever that can finally get off the ground.

Chris Pine And Ben Foster

The third time has been the charm so far for Chris Pine and Ben Foster. The duo famously portrayed bank-robbing brothers in Hell or High Water, joined up for The Finest Hours, and made it a three-peat in 2022 for The Contractor.

Margot Robbie And Will Smith

If it seemed that there could have been a little something extra going on between Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn and Will Smith’s Deadshot when you watched 2016’s Suicide Squad, then it might have been because you picked up on the chemistry the duo first built in Focus from the year before.

Margot Robbie And Brad Pitt

This big screen coupling made quite a showing for themselves across less than a decade, as Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt have starred in The Big Short, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood and Babylon. 

Margot Robbie And Leonardo DiCaprio

Just imagine, had it not been for this pairing, we might not have the megastar who is Barbie actor/producer Margot Robbie right now. Her role in Wolf of Wall Street as the second wife of Leonardo DiCaprio’s corrupt fraudster propelled her career, and by the time they starred in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood together Robbie was a major star.

Halle Berry And Hugh Jackman

We, again, have a superhero franchise to thank for bringing two great talents together, as Oscar winner Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman both have four of the X-Men movies among their credits. The duo also starred in Swordfish and Movie 43.

Awkwafina And Michelle Yeoh

This duo counts two megahits in their joint credits, with Awkwafina and Everything Everywhere All At Once Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh both having starred in Crazy Rich Asians (and we’re still waiting for that rom-com sequel) and the MCU entry Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Michelle Yeoh And Jackie Chan

Michelle Yeoh has been a star for several decades, and part of that reason is because of her breakout role in the 1992’s Supercop, which also starred Jackie Chan. But, they’ve made a number of other films with each other, including Supercop 2, and Hong Kong action films Twinkle, Twinkle, Lucky Stars, Project S, and both voiced characters in Kung Fu Panda 2, along with having starred in a 1984 watch commercial together.

Angela Bassett And Laurence Fishburne

While Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne were famously nominated for Oscars for their lead roles as Tina Turner and Ike Turner in 1993’s What’s Love Got to Do with It?, the duo was actually first together on screen for Boyz n the Hood in ‘91. They then later teamed up for Akeela and the Bee in 2006.

Julia Roberts And Richard Gere

If this isn’t a famous acting duo, then none are, despite their only making two movies with each other. Of course, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere starred in the mega-hit classic rom-com Pretty Woman and teamed up again for Runaway Bride in 1999.

Jennifer Aniston And Jason Bateman

For a while there, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, who are friends in real life, were kinda on a roll. Their first joint film was The Break-Up in 2006, and since then they’ve filmed four additional movies with one another: The Switch, Horrible Bosses and its sequel, and 2016’s Office Christmas Party.

Kate Hudson And Matthew McConaughey

Who can forget the glorious chemistry created by Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days? No one, that’s who! This is why they made a second rom-com, Fool’s Gold, just five years later.

Kirsten Dunst And Jesse Plemons

It’s not unusual for an acting duo to become friends in real life, but Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons took that a few steps further after working on the TV series Fargo together. Not only have they since starred in the film The Power of the Dog (which netted each their first Oscar nomination) and the A24 drama Civil War, but they married in 2022 and have two sons.

Meg Ryan And Tom Hanks

We could hardly leave Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks off of this list, as the famed actors have co-starred in two of the biggest romantic comedies of all time. Everyone knows them for making Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail hits, but before all of that, they led one of the weirder rom-coms made with Joe Versus the Volcano, and reunited for the 2016 drama Ithaca, which Ryan directed.

Drew Barrymore And Adam Sandler

People often mention Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler as an acting duo they want to see more of and with good reason. The two have made magic in the classics The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates and Blended.

Adam Sandler And Chris Rock

This pairing goes back decades, to the time when Adam Sandler and Chris Rock starred on Saturday Night Live together in the ‘90s. Since then, the real-life buddies have appeared in seven movies together, with The Longest Yard, Grown Ups and its sequel, The Week Of and Top Five counted among that number.

George Clooney And Brad Pitt

Of course, George Clooney and Brad Pitt helped to make the Ocean’s Eleven franchise a hit, but the friends additionally teamed up for the live TV movie 8, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (which Clooney directed), Burn After Reading and the 2024 films If and Wolfs.

Keegan-Michael Key And Jordan Peele

The duo of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, who first became recognizable during their time on MadTV, eventually went on to their own acclaimed sketch comedy series, Key and Peele. But, while making names for themselves on other series and in a number of movies, they continue to work with one another on projects like Keanu, Toy Story 4 and Wendell & Wild.

Awkwafina And Simu Liu

It was the MCU that first brought Awkwafina and Simu Liu together in the hit film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and while we’re still waiting to see when that franchise will bring them back together, 2024 saw them team up again for the action comedy, Jackpot!.

Jane Fonda And Robert Redford

Dedicated film fans probably know that legends Jane Fonda and Robert Redford starred together in Barefoot in the Park and The Electric Horseman, but their joint movie appearances do go beyond that. They also starred in The Chase in ‘66 and reunited for Our Souls at Night in 2017, and both had their film debuts in 1960’s Tall Story.

As you can see, film history is packed with acting duos who’ve worked together more than once, and that will probably always be the case.

On a list of the best sci-fi shows, Star Trek: The Next Generation remains the gold standard. With 180 episodes, it was inevitable the series would bring in an outside famous face or two, especially with Patrick Stewart leading the ship. 

Before we dive in, I think readers will note the omission of one famous star everyone knows is in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Whoopi Goldberg. Her Guinan was a recurring character for several seasons, so she's been left off the list. With that out of the way, let's run down the list of the famous guest stars we loved in TNG. 

Stephen Hawking

When you have a holodeck, you can do a lot of things. For example, Data used it in "Descent" to see what would happen if Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking played poker together. The synth found it "most illuminating," though I still question what he learned from doing it. 

Penny Johnson Jerald

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Orville fans know Penny Johnson Jerald well through her roles on those shows, but less may know she was also on The Next Generation. Those who watch "Homeward" will spot her if they look at the wife of Worf's human brother, Nikolai. 

Kirsten Dunst

Before she was a well-known actress starring as Mary Jane in Spider-Man, Kirsten Dunst was in Star Trek: The Next Generation when she was still a child. Her Hedril helped Deanna understand the pain her mother felt over the death of her sister Kestra, who died tragically as a kid in "Dark Page." 

Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy actually rejected a chance to become a producer on Star Trek: The Next Generation, instead opting to appear as Spock in a handful of episodes. This was possible, partially, because Vulcans have long lifespans, but I can't also help but credit Nimoy's love for the character as a factor for reprising him as well. 

James Worthy

Athletes in Star Trek? It happens from time to time, and three-time NBA Champion James Worthy actually played a Klingon in "Gambit, Part II," and at six foot nine inches, he made for a particularly imposing figure. Those who go back to see his performance will note he's not hard to spot. 

Teri Hatcher

Well-loved actress Teri Hatcher has a role as B.G. Robinson in "The Outrageous Okona," but only barely. So many of her scenes were cut from the episode that she requested her name be removed from the credits. Fortunately, she went on to be so famous people know who she is just by the brief scene alone. 

James Cromwell

Star Trek fans love James Cromwell for his iconic role as Zefram Cochrane in First Contact, but he also played a couple of roles throughout The Next Generation. He was in heavy prosthetics playing Jaglom Shrek in "Birthright Part I and II," and was Nayrock in "The Hunted." Hey, when a great actor wants to work on your series, let him play whoever he wants. 

Ken Jenkins

Actor Ken Jenkins was around Hollywood before he appeared in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Evolution" as Paul Stubbs, though more people might recognize him now rewatching. That's thanks in part to his character Dr. Bob Kelso on the comedy Scrubs, which was in network primetime for nearly a decade in the 2000s. 

Joe Piscopo

One of the most influential Saturday Night Live stars of all time, comedian Joe Piscopo, made an appearance in Season 2 during "The Outrageous Okona." This might not be a surprise to anyone who hasn't seen the episode, but he plays a stand-up comedian. Who would've guessed? 

Ashley Judd

I think out of every famous guest star from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Ashley Judd might be the easiest to spot. As Robin Lefler, she appeared in "Darmok" and "The Game," and even shared a kiss with Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher. There was a solid romance angle there, but sadly, she only had two episodes. 

Jonathan Del Arco

Jonathan Del Arco has been around Hollywood a lot in his career, but Star Trek fans may know him a little better than general audiences thanks to his playing Hugh the Borg. Hugh was the first Borg character to humanize the species in the franchise, and the character went on to play a notable role in the Picard spinoff decades later. 

Stephen Root

Iconic actor Stephen Root made for a great Klingon in the two-parter "Unification." As K'Vada, he made sure he made Picard and Data's time on his ship as uncomfortable as possible. He only honored his deal to help them infiltrate Romulus, which is totally on brand for the Klingon species. 

Michelle Phillips

Michelle Phillips initially rose to fame from her singing in The Mamas And The Papas but eventually transitioned into a successful acting career. As such, she ended up being one of the first major stars on Star Trek: The Next Generation, appearing in the Season 1 episode "We'll Always Have Paris" as Jenice Manheim. 

DeForest Kelley

Leonard Nimoy wasn't the only actor from the original Star Trek to appear in TNG, as DeForest Kelley also reprised his role as McCoy, though, he was an admiral at this point. Catch him in "Encounter At Farpoint," giving Data a hard time. 

Pamela Adlon

You may know Pamela Adlon from a lot of things. I, personally, like to note her voice work as Bobby Hill in the animated series King of the Hill, but she was on The Next Generation long before that. Find her in "Who Watches The Watchers" in which she's part of an alien species convinced that Picard is some immortal being with mystical powers. 

Paul Sorvino

Rest in peace to the late Paul Sorvino, known for Goodfellas, Law & Order, and of course, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Sorvino played Nikolai Rozhenko, the foster brother of Worf. Though he and his brother had their disagreements, Worf always made time for his brother, and there was a great respect between the two in their strengths. 

Matt Frewer

Actor Matt Frewer might not be a face readers immediately recognize, and they may not remember his role as Berlinghoff Rasmussen in "A Matter Of Time" immediately either. That said, if I were to talk about the bizarre character and series Max Headroom, would that ring any bells? That's Frewer's claim to fame, playing the eerie character who even was mentioned as an easter egg in the TNG episode "Conspiracy." 

Patti Yasutake

It wouldn't feel right not to highlight Patti Yasutake following her recent passing. Many Star Trek fans loved her recurring character, Nurse Ogawa, and her more recent work on Beef. While she was only in a handful of episodes, most Trekkies can remember her backing up Beverly Crusher, no matter the emergency. 

Thomas Kopache

Thomas Kopache holds the distinct honor of holding a role across all Rick Berman-era Star Trek shows and played not one, but two roles on The Next Generation. Check him out as a train engineer in "Emergence," and a Romulan scientist in "The Next Phase." 

John Tesh

Musician John Tesh, who NBA fans can thank for his famous song "Roundball Rock," was also in Star Trek. He played one of the Klingons created by the holodeck in "The Icarus Factor." Not a huge role by any means, but such a random appearance that I can't help but be tickled by. 

Kevin Peter Hall

Kevin Peter Hall, who had done character acting as the predator in Predator, was actually in contention for two of the starring roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation. While he ultimately lost out on the roles of Data and Geordi, he did end up appearing in the series via the episode "The Price" as the Caledonian Leyor. 

Ray Wise

Twin Peaks actor Ray Wise plays a key role in "Who Watches The Watchers," as Arturis. Arturis accidentally stumbles upon a Starfleet duck blind observing a planet, and when he is injured in the process, the crew does what it can to treat him. Arturis then returns to his people, claiming he was rescued by their gods. 

Famke Janssen

Famke Janssen had a big role as Kamala in the episode "The Perfect Mate," and it ultimately led to a larger one alongside series star Patrick Stewart. The former Star Trek co-stars would reunite on the cast of X-Men, as Janssen would pay Jean Grey alongside his Professor X. Wild to see them work together years later at much different points in their careers!

Majel Barrett

The wife of Gene Roddenberry, and the Nurse Chapel in the original Star Trek, Majel Barrett was also in TNG. While she missed out on being a part of TOS when her character was cut from the pilot, she was given the fairly meaty role of Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Deanna Troi. Anytime she popped up in this series it was a good time, and a lot of that is a credit to Barrett's skills as an actress. 

Mick Fleetwood

You would think if Star Trek landed the founding member of the iconic rock band Fleetwood Mac, it would want to broadcast his face in full view for the world to see. That wasn't the case, and if you didn't know, Mick Fleetwood was playing a fish man in the episode "Manhunt." Hilarious in hindsight, though given how cool the fish mask was, I don't blame him for being ok with wearing it. 

Christopher McDonald

Christopher McDonald is on our short list of requests for Happy Gilmore 2, and he's on this list because he appeared as a Starfleet Officer in the iconic episode "Yesterday's Enterprise." He served under Rachel Garrett, a character who has gained more relevance as of late thanks to her presence in Star Trek: Section 31.

Mark Lenard

Bringing Leonard Nimoy to Star Trek: The Next Generation was an amazing coup for the show, but to bring Mark Lenard to reprise his role as Sarek, Spock's father, was an underrated win. I don't think there's two men who did a better service for laying the framework for playing a Vulcan than those two, and the complicated father/son dynamic made for compelling television all throughout TNG. 

Terry O’Quinn

By the time he played a Rear Admiral in "The Pegasus," Terry O'Quinn was a well-established actor in Hollywood. That said, readers may most know him for the role he played of John Locke in Lost. His character, Erik Pressman in TNG, was far less sympathetic than John, but O'Quinn was fantastic in both roles. 

Kelsey Grammer

Dr. Frasier Crane himself, Kelsey Grammer, was a part of the Star Trek family for a short while. He was Morgan Bateson in "Cause and Effect." I'm always a little sad we didn't see more with the Captain of the USS Bozeman, and hope that if we get another TNG-era series, Grammer might reprise his role for a small adventure with other characters from the show. 

Bebe Neuwirth

If Star Trek manages to find out you're a Trekkie, chances are you'll be invited to be on a show. That exact thing happened to Bebe Neuwirth, who took time out of her schedule ahead of a Cheers rehearsal to be in "First Contact." It's a brief scene but memorable as she propositions Riker for sex, with the logic that it was always a dream to sleep with an alien. 

Diedrich Bader

Diedrich Bader had a background role in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Emissary," but his face is hard to miss. This is especially true if you're a fan of The Drew Carey Show, which admittedly has fewer fans now since the series hasn't found a home on streaming. I'll continue to cross my fingers that will happen, though, and enjoy this episode all the same. 

James Doohan

Star Trek actor James Doohan appeared in the episode "Relics," when Captain Montgomery Scott was found trapped in suspension in a ship's pattern buffer for 75 years. Fortunately, we've learned that being stuck in a transporter buffer is a relatively painless process, if not disorienting, to be gone for a period of time and not know it. This is, perhaps, one of my favorite TNG episodes of all time, and totally worth watching again for those who haven't seen it in a while.

From the moment it debuted with a two-hour pilot episode in September of 1994 until it left the air in 2009, ER was a ratings monster. It regularly topped the ratings for the year during its 331-episode run and launched careers left and right. George Clooney for goodness sake! Not only did it have big stars in its regular cast like Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Maura Tierney, and Eriq LaSalle, but it also had a huge amount of guest stars and up-and-coming actors roll through the show. Here is our list of some of the biggest. 

Nick Offerman

Nick Offerman is most well known for playing the great Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation where he regularly delivered some of the funniest lines on the show. He didn't have anything funny to say in his one role on ER where he played a bandmate of a bass player in distress in the emergency room.  

Taraji P. Henson

The accolades for Taraji P. Henson's acting have come fast and fierce in recent years, but she's been showcasing her talent on screen since the late '90s. One of her earliest roles was in a Season 4 episode of ER, and then in Season 5, she returned in a different role. She kept landing guest roles for years on shows like CSI and Boston Legal before landing her starring turn in Empire and the rest is history. 

Bradley Whitford

A few years before the role of Josh Lyman on The West Wing would make him a star, Bradley Whitford appeared in two episodes of ER in 1995. He'd been working regularly for almost a decade at that point and would find small roles here and there for another few years before The West Wing. He's been an in-demand actor ever since. 

Kristin Davis

Before she was a regular on Melrose Place, and before she was one of Jerry's many girlfriends on Seinfeld, Kristin Davis played a woman who was very into George Clooney's character very briefly in one episode of the first season of ER. While she only showed up once on the show, it clearly opened some big doors - and big martini glasses - in the future. 

Zac Efron

Before becoming a star in High School Musical, Zac Efron was almost type-cast as a troubled teen. On ER he played a teenager who turned up in the emergency room after being shot. He was also a troublemaker in an early role on NCIS. These days he's one of the biggest stars to grace the screen, but he used to just be in trouble on screen! 

Ewan McGregor

Ewan McGregor is something different to different generations. For some, he'll always be Renton in Trainspotting. Of course, for many, he'll always be a young Obi-Wan Kenobi. For even others, he's known as the guy who drove his motorcycle around the world in Long Way Round. You can't help but wonder if that name was inspired by his guest spot on ER in a Season 3 episode called "The Long Way Around" in 1997. 

Julie Bowen

While Julie Bowen is best known these days for playing Claire Dunphy in Modern Family, her career stretches way further back. Her first TV role came in the early '90s and her breakout role came in the 1993 Adam Sandler smash hit Happy Gilmore. In the late '90s, she had a nine-episode run on ER as the reoccurring character named Roxanne Please, who was John Carter's (Noah Wyle) girlfriend. 

Ving Rhames

1994 was a big year for Ving Rhames. Not only did he star in Pulp Fiction, but he also landed a reoccurring role as Walt Robbins, father-in-law to Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle). In total, he appeared in eight episodes over three seasons, but by then he'd also starred in Mission: Impossible and the rest is history. 

Lucy Liu

Lucy Liu is no stranger to hit television shows. She was a star of Ally McBeal in the '90s and '00s, and in Elementary in the teens. Early on, she also appeared in cameos and supporting roles on big shows like NYPD Blue and The X-Files. She also made it onto three episodes of ER, in 1995. 

Chris Pine

Believe it or not, there was a time when Chris Pine wasn't one of the "Chrises" and wasn't one of the biggest movie stars in the world. He was, in his early days, just like so many other actors, just looking to snag any role they could. Luckily for Pine, it was on a show like ER. In fact, the show he appeared in during Season 9 of the show was his first credited acting performance. 

Don Cheadle

When Don Cheadle appeared as a doctor in a 4-episode arc in 2002 on ER, he was already well-established as an actor. In fact, it came not long after he was established enough to take his name off the credits of Ocean's Eleven, despite delivering some of the best one-liners in the movie. 

J.K. Simmons

Any fan of Law & Order knows just how ingrained J.K. Simmons was in prime-time television around the turn of the century. He was a regular on that show, and he turned up in a bunch of others as well, including an episode of ER in 2004. you can always count on a great J.K. Simmons performance, no matter what he is in. 

Christina Hendricks

While she had been cast in a number of shows before Mad Men, Christina Hendricks had never really broken through as a star. That changed with the AMC show, but before that, she was just a regular hard-working actress in Hollywood. One of her earliest gigs was on ER in 2002. 

Adam Scott

Adam Scott is not the only Parks And Recreation star to appear in ER early in his career, but he did have a pretty intense role as an injured man clinging to life in the emergency room way back in 1995. It's hard to imagine it took 15 more years to get the big-time attention he deserves when he landed his role on Park & Rec. 

Glen Howerton

In 2005 Always Sunny In Philadelphia took the world by storm and went on to become one of the longest-running sitcoms of all time. Glen Howerton played a huge part in that, as one of the stars and co-creators. A couple of years earlier, he was playing a very different role as a doctor in six Episodes of ER during its 10th Season. 

Keiko Agena

Gilmore Girls regular and co-star of Prodigal Son, Keiko Agena is one of the few actors who played two different characters on ER. She first appeared on the show very early in her career, in 1998, then later appeared in the final season in 2009. 

Jessica Chastain

With three Oscar nominations and one win, Jessica Chastain has proven she's among the best Hollywood has to offer. She proved her acting years ago though, in shows like ER. In only her second credited role, she appeared on ER in 2004 in an episode called "Forgive and Forget."

Aaron Paul

For most people, Aaron Paul is best known for his legendary role in Breaking Bad but years before that show would become a hit, he played a pretty similar character on ER in an episode called "A Saint in the City," way back in 2003. 

Octavia Spencer

In 1998 when Octavia Spencer appeared on ER, it was the latest in a string of supporting roles she landed early in her career. That string would continue for a little while longer before she emerged as one of the most beloved stars of the teens and '20s after her star-making role in The Help.

Mena Suvari

As it was for a lot of cast members, American Pie was huge for Mena Suvari. She had been working for a few years in Hollywood before that, picking up roles here and there in shows like Boy Meets World and movies like The Slums of Beverly Hills. Another early role came in a 1998 episode of ER where she played a high school cheerleader who didn't want to listen to her doctors. 

Kirsten Dunst

As a child actor, Kirsten Dunst's career started when she was just six years old. It would be a few years before she landed a brief reoccurring role as a troubled teen in six episodes of ER in the show's third season. 

Dakota Fanning

Quite a few child actors who went on to greater fame came through the doors of the emergency room at Cook County General Hospital, including a young Dakota Fanning. Fanning played a young girl named Delia who came in after a car accident and viewers find out she's a cancer survivor. 

James Cromwell

One of the ultimate "that guys" in Hollywood, James Cromwell has been acting for decades. His career really started in earnest in the mid-'70s and he's been playing supporting and starring roles ever since. On ER, he played a drug-seeking priest in four episodes in Season 7. 

Josh Peck

Josh Peck was a breakout Nickelodeon star as half of Drake & Josh. That wasn't his first role though. After a few small roles and a reoccurring spot in The Amanda Show (which led to Drake & Josh), he landed a small role in an episode of ER in 2002 as a kid with heart problems. 

Eva Mendes

Before Eva Mendes semi-retired to raise her family with Ryan Gosling, she was one of the biggest stars on the planet. You can trace her career all the way back to her very first role which came in 1998 on an episode of ER. It's wild to look back and watch her doing her first on-screen performances with George Clooney and not think about what lay ahead for both of them. 

Shia LaBeouf

Without a doubt, Shia LaBeouf has had one of the wildest careers of the 21st Century. There have been times when he was on top of the world, and others when he... definitely wasn't. One high point early in his career was of a kid in the emergency room of Cook County General in 2000, during Season 6. 

Milana Vayntrub

Milana Vayntrub eventually became one of the most recognizable actors in commercials as the AT&T pitchwoman. Long before that though, she was like a lot of child actors who got their start on ER. She appeared in three episodes, her first three credited roles, as a Russian girl, way back in Season 1. 

John Mahoney

Before scoring the role of a lifetime as Martin Crane on Fraiser, John Mahoney had been a steadily working actor going back to the '70s. After Frasier, he could pretty much write his own ticket. One role he chose to take was that of a self-professed "drag queen" whose long-time boyfriend was in rough shape in the hospital on ER in 2006, making a strong statement about gay marriage before many were brave enough to join him. 

Janel Moloney

One of the many great actresses who found early work in their career on ER was Janel Moloney. Moloney scored only a handful of roles between that and The West Wing, but boy was the West Wing lucky to have her - as was ER in its first season when she appeared in one episode. 

Amy Ryan

One of the most underrated characters in The Wire has to be Beadie Russell, played by Amy Ryan. About a decade before she joined The Wire in Season 2, she starred in a single episode of ER in the show's first season. She's been in many TV shows and movies since, including a beloved recurring role on The Office and in the underrated Netflix original Worth.

Rosemary Clooney

George Clooney isn't the only famous person in his family. His aunt is, of course, the inimitably Rosemary Clooney, who was one of the most beloved singers of her generation. She only had about a dozen acting credits on her impressive resume, but one was ER during the show's first season. What a great experience for her and her nephew. Her son, actor Miguel Ferrer, also appeared in an uncredited role in the series premiere of the show. 

Dan Hedaya

If you grew up in the '90s, Dan Hedaya was seemingly everywhere, but he's probably best remember by that generation as Cher Horowitz's angry but loving father in Clueless. On ER, he plays a lawyer with... questionable ethics, but a heart of gold. He appeared in four episodes over the length of the whole show. remembered

Despite a limited number of seasons and episodes, Black Mirror has, since the beginning, killed it with its casting. The Charlie Brooker-led show has landed some of the biggest stars in the world for episodes and chooses some of the best character actors from both sides of the pond as well. Here are 32 casting examples that prove Black Mirror crushes it. 

Daniel Kaluuya

Before Daniel Kaluuya hit the really big time with break-out roles in Get Out and Black Panther, he had a role in just the second episode of Black Mirror, called "Fifteen Million Merits." Kaluuya played a low-level bike rider looking to escape his boring life by performing in a reality TV show. It's a powerful performance and helped set the tone for the series. 

Hayley Atwell

Season 2 of  Black Mirror started with a bang, with an episode called "Be Right Back" starring Hayley Atwell and Domhnall Gleeson in a real mind-bending episode about a couple with a classic Black Mirror twist. 

Jon Hamm

In between Season 1 and Season 2, Black Mirror aired a Christmas special featuring its first big American star, Mad Men's Jon Hamm. It's a super disturbing episode in a ton of ways, not the least of which is just how evil Hamm's character turns out to be. 

Bryce Dallas Howard

Season 3 marked a big change for the show when it moved to Netflix. It also started with a band with the episode "Nosedive" starring Bryce Dallas Howard. It felt a first like a different take on the general premise of Black Mirror, being brighter and seemingly more upbeat. But that didn't last long, of course, and Howard's performance made it all work perfectly. 

Kelly MacDonald

Kelly Mac Donald isn't often the star of her projects but she is consistently excellent in everything she is in. She does star in one episode of Black Mirror, the Season 3 episode "Hated In The Nation" which is the show's take on a police procedural, with  MacDonald playing the main investigator. 

Salma Hayek

There are few stars bigger than the great Salma Hayak and her role in the episode "Joan Is Awful" in the Sixth Season is just perfect. She plays a version of herself, playing the character Joan and her no-BS attitude is just pitch-perfect. 

Jesse Plemons

The first episode of Season 4, "USS Callister" often ranks among the best episodes of Black Mirror, and a big reason why is the performances of the actors in the episode. There is no character more important than manipulative Captain Robert Daly played wonderfully by Jesse Plemons. 

Andrew Scott

Andrew Scott elevates basically everything he is in. Whether it's shows like Sherlock and Fleabag or movies like 1917, he also turns in one of the most memorable performances. Black Mirror is no exception. While the episode he appears in, "Smithereens" isn't well regarded among fans, there's no denying that Scott's performance is excellent and even earned him an Emmy nomination. 

Anthony Mackie

Anthony Mackie has never shied away from playing Gay men, with his first breakout role coming as a Gay art student in the film Brother to Brother. His role in Black Mirror wasn't quite as clear cut, as he played a man clearly struggling with his feelings and identity in the Season 5 episode "Striking Vipers." 

Kate Mara

The Season 6 episode, "Beyond the Sea," is one of the more messed up episodes of Black Mirror and that's really saying something. Kate Mara stars in the show as a woman trapped in the middle of a love triangle by two astronauts, one her husband, and one her suitor. It's a polarizing episode, like many, but there's no question it's as disturbing as the show can get. 

Miley Cyrus

In the final episode of Season 5, Miley Cyrus stars as Ashley O, a pop star not unlike her real-life self. Of all the Black Mirror episodes, it's maybe the least disturbing, but that really makes it underrated, if anything. It still makes the viewer question modern culture and tech, it just doesn't end in tragedy. 

Topher Grace

In Smithereens, Topher Grace plays a Jack Dorsey-type tech CEO who leads a social media company. While the episode is often criticized for its simplistic social commentary, by Black Mirror standards, Grace's performance is actually pretty perfect. All the acting performances are great in this uneven performance. 

Letitia Wright

Letitia Wright had been building a solid career in the U.K. before 2018 when she exploded on the world stage with her appearance in Black Panther. Prior to becoming a big part of the MCU, however, she starred in the Season 4 finale, "Black Museum." It's a fun episode with an almost greatest hits-type vibe, as it's filled with easter eggs to previous episodes. 

Benedict Wong

Benedict Wong has low-key become one of the most popular side characters in the MCU as... well... Wong. The same year he joined the MCU, in 2016's Doctor Strange, he also starred in the Season 3 episode "Hated in the Nation." He has a smaller role in the show compared to some of the other stars (like Kelly MacDonald) but he's great, as he always is in his many roles. 

Aaron Paul

Aaron Paul will likely forever be known first and foremost as Jesse Pinkman from Breaking Bad. There's nothing wrong with that, but Paul has had an impressive career outside of the legendary AMC show as well. One very notable role came in Season 6 of Black Mirror when he appeared alongside Josh Harnett and Kate Mara in "Beyond the Sea." It wasn't Paul's first appearance on the show, however. He had a quick cameo in "USS Callister" during the show's 4th Season. 

Zazie Beetz

Zazie Beetz hit the big time as a member of the hit show Atlanta starting in 2016. She later gained an even larger fanbase as Domino in Deadpool 2. In 2023, she got to star in an episode of Black Mirror called "Mazey Day" which broke new ground for the show, dipping into the supernatural for the first time. Though it wasn't the most well-received episode of the series, Beetz put together a great performance as a paparazza. 

Josh Harnett

Over the last 25 years, Josh Harnett has quietly put together one of the most underrated careers in Hollywood. He's played all kinds of roles, from heartthrobs to nuclear physicists. Of course, he also appeared as part of the star-studded cast of "Under The Sea" in Season 6. 

Michael Cera

Michael Cera has never been afraid to play ridiculous versions of himself. Most notably, in This Is The End, but also in the Season 6 episode "Joan is Awful." Everyone in the episode is playing some sort of version of themselves and Cera, as the character Beppe is, of course, over the top in his performance and we're here for it. 

Tobias Menzies

As character actors go, they don't get much better than Tobias Menzies. The English actor seems to pop up constantly in "prestige" shows. He was Brutus in HBO's Rome, he was Edmund Tully in Game of Thrones and he won an Emmy for playing Prince Philip in two seasons of The Crown. In the second season of Black Mirror, he played a British politician running for office against an animated bear named Waldo in "The Waldo Moment."

Domhnall Gleeson

Sure, Domhnall Gleeson is part of two of the biggest franchises in film history as a member of the Weasley family in the Harry Potter movies and General Hux in the Star Wars movies, but he's also been one of the best actors around for a couple of decades now. He appeared in the first episode of Season 2, "Be Right Back."

Wyatt Russell

Even though he has two very famous actors as parents, Wyatt Russell originally strived to play professional hockey. When injuries cut his career short, he fell back on acting. Lucky, huh? Still, he's putting together a really nice career, one that includes an appearance in the 2016 episode "Playtest."

Jodie Whittaker

Jodie Whittaker made history when she became the first woman to play The Doctor in three seasons of the modern era of Dr. Who. That wasn't Whittaker's first dabble in  science fiction TV, however, as she appeared in the third-ever episode of Black Mirror called "The Entire History of You." She is excellent in the episode, which ranks tops all-time on quite a few rankings. 

Jerome Flynn

One of the most disturbing episodes of Black Mirror came in its third season. "Shut Up and Dance" is a complicated episode, as viewers are repulsed by the characters, including, most notably, the one played by Game Of Thrones vet Jerome Flynn. Viewers are also taken aback by what those terrible characters have to do. It's a polarizing episode, but that's part of what makes it so great. 

Rory Kinnear

There are two roles that Rory Kinnear is likely most recognized for. One is Bill Tanner in four of the Daniel Craig-era James Bond movies. He's one of the most important characters from the Craig-led Bond films. The second is from the now-legendary premiere episode of Black Mirror called "The National Anthem." His performance as the beleaguered Prime Minister forced to do unspeakable things in the episode is, frankly, legendary.  

Rupert Everett

Rupert Everett has been killing on screen for more than 40 years now and though his role in the second episode of Season 1 is small, he's brilliant. He plays a Simon Cowell-type on a dystopian version of Britain's Got Talent and he, like Cowell, steals the show as a judge. 

Cherry Jones

Season 3's first episode, "Nosedive" is a fantastic episode, and a big reason why is the acting performances, including from Cherry Jones, who appears in only one scene of the show, but it's the pivotal moment in the show. Jones is one of the more underrated character actresses in Hollywood, but she's probably best known for playing President Allison Taylor on 24 and Holly Maddox in two seasons of The Handmaid's Tale. 

Oona Chaplin

Oona Chaplin comes from a family of true film royalty. Her grandfather was the legendary Charlie Chaplin. She's carved out an impressive career as well. She's best known as Talisa Stark, the ill-fated wife of Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, where she was the first death at the infamous Red Wedding. She stars alongside Jon Hamm in the Christmas special of Black Mirror in a smaller role, literally and figuratively, but her performance is sure to freak out everyone who watches. 

Jimmi Simpson

It's hard to believe that Always Sunny In Philadelphia first hit the airwaves in 2005, but it did. Jimmi Simpson has been along for most of the ride, as the oddball frenemy to "The Gang" and member of the McPoyle family, Liam McPoyle. He also appeared one of the most star-studded casts of Black Mirror in the "USS Callister."

Annie Murphy

Annie Murphy is most famous for playing Alexis Rose in Schitt's Creek and in 2023 she appeared as a strange version of herself playing "Joan" in "Joan in Awful" alongside Salma Hayek in the sixth season.  

Kirsten Dunst

"USS Callister" has one of the more star-studded casts and one of the stars you may not have even seen, Kirsten Dunst. Dunst's cameo in Black Mirror is truly a blink--and-you-miss-moment in the episode. She appears as a fellow office worker in the show and it's so brief most people missed it. 

Cristin Milioti

The multi-talented Cristin Milioti started her career on the stage on Broadway where she became a Tony-nominated actress, but made her on-screen breakthrough as "The Mother" in How I Met Your Mother. Since then, she's shined in shows like Fargo, The Resort, and The Mindy Project, as well as starring in "USS Callister" in Black Mirror. 

Will Poulter

Will Poulter seems to like showing in prestige TV shows. In addition to starring in the groundbreaking interactive "choose your own adventure" Black Mirror movie called Bandersnatch, he's also shown up in a cameo on The Bear. That's in addition, of course, to his film roles in The Revenant, Midsommar, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3., among many others. 

For consecutive weekends, Alex Garland’s Civil War has captivated audiences, from its harrowing opening to its gut punch of a final shot. Many have come out of the movie wanting to discuss the film’s themes, or maybe even headed back to the theater with a friend in tow, so they could enter the fight from the front lines as seen through the POV of Garland’s main characters. This helped Civil War win the box office two weekends in a row… and set box-office records for A24 as a studio. But there’s one scene in particular that lives rent free in my head, even though – when I brought it up for Garland and his cast – they had different interpretations for it. 

The scene involves war-time photojournalists Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), and Joel (Wagner Moura) as they detour into a small AMerican town that is actively choosing to ignore the conflict that has engulfed our major cities. The townsfolk know that there is a Civil War happening. They’re just choosing to bury their heads in the sand, to keep living the life they led before the conflict. It’s unnerving. 

I wanted to know if filming the scenes set in the town provided a respite for the actors from the bombastic nature of the war scenes, but Cailee Spaeny explained why that wasn’t actually the case, telling CinemaBlend:

And as her co-star, Kirsten Dunst, added: 

Alex Garland’s Civil War does make frequent stops as the corps of journalists travels from New York City to Washington, D.C. to check in and see how the war is affecting different corners of our nation. It can lead to a tense confrontation with a militaristic stranger (played by Jesse Plemons). And it can lead to a shootout in the Nation’s Capitol, in front of some of our country’s most recognizable monuments. That’s what makes the ending of Civil War so unforgettable.

But the director did see how the sequence in the town provided a brief relief from his grueling schedule, as he shared with CinemaBlend: 

It’s undeniable that the scene set in the “normal” town was very abnormal. But what haunts me is how Lee and Jessie allowed themselves to drift out of their mental and physical Hell for even a moment, trying on new clothes and remembering how life used to be, and never would be again. Human, dramatic scenes like that in Civil War are winning over non-war fans, and making it one of the best movies you can see on screen all year.

The latest of the 2024 movies that's playing in theaters is A24’s Civil War. The movie written and directed by Ex Machina’s Alex Garland is reportedly the studio’s most expensive film to date and follows a hardened war photojournalist (played by Kirsten Dunst) as she and her team travel across the United States to chase a big story amidst the country being in the middle of a brutal modern civil war. Now, Civil War blew me away, and that’s particularly surprising to me as someone who typically steers away from (or generally doesn’t enjoy) movies of the war variety. Let me talk about why.

War movies have always been important to the fabric of cinema. After all, war is seemingly an inevitable part of the fabric of humanity, as well, so of course I'm all for war movies being out in the world and appreciate them. But, I actually think Civil War in particular deserves a spot among the best war movies because it completely captured the attention of myself, someone who doesn’t usually gravitate toward the topic by choice.

If There’s One Movie Topic I Steer Away From, It’s The War Movie

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen some good war movies and appreciate the quality ones. I went out of my way to see 1917 in IMAX when it was getting award season buzz. I've also been exposed to movies like Saving Private Ryan, Glory and Black Hawk Down and I don’t regret seeing them by any means. In general, as a massive movie fan, there’s not necessarily any type of movie I wouldn’t watch, but if I had to choose one, it’s the war movie. I find it necessary for us as humans to reflect on war and have discussions about it, and movies are a great platform to do so, but it’s just not my thing.

Why I Went To See Civil War Anyway 

So why did I go see Civil War? Well, there’s a few reasons. One, I’ve never regretted watching an Alex Garland movie, especially in theaters if I can. Civil War’s writer/director got his start in the movie business by writing two fantastic scripts for Danny Boyle with 2002’s 28 Days Later and 2007’s Sunshine. He also penned the heart-wrenching adaptation of Never Let Me Go before making his electrifying directorial debut with 2014’s Ex Machina. The science fiction film is is so good that I think about it every few months. Yes, I’ll admit that I thought his follow-up, 2018’s Annihilation, to be underwhelming, and found 2022’s Men got a bit too weird for me (and that's saying a lot), but like I said, I still have never once regretted going on the journey of an Alex Garland movie.

There's that, plus the fact that A24 has definitely become my favorite studio to follow in recent years and the incredibly talented Kirsten Dunst being paired with Cailee Spaeny, who I thought had one of the best performances last year in Priscilla. So I made the plunge, and truthfully, I didn’t know how much about war it would delve into. I was willing to go in blind and enjoy the experience, and I definitely was not disappointed! So, for my fellow war scaredy cats, I actually would recommend you do the same.

How Civil War Caught Me Off Guard In A Great Way 

First of all, perhaps contrary to perception, Civil War is not a political movie. It takes place in a modern world where two sides of Americans are taking part in a war. That said, I was impressed about the ways in which the movie sidesteps taking sides or trying to preach some sort of grand-scale statement about the state of America these days or take any stance on this year’s upcoming election. The movie does a great job of being ambiguous about how the U.S. ended up in a new civil war and really puts the focus on the journey the main characters go on throughout its 109-minute runtime (contrary to previous rumors of it being over three hours) that absolutely grabs hold of you right away and never lets go.

The specific relationship that grabbed my attention, and will grab you too, is between two war photojournalists at different places in their career. Kirsten Dunst plays Lee, a rather renowned and famous photographer in her field who is established to be someone who has seen her fair share of the war up close and personal, and is pushing forward in her craft despite the deep-seated trauma and lethargy she feels from the work she does. Her foil is Cailee Spaeny’s Jesse, a much younger photographer who idolizes Lee and the work that she does. When Jesse ends up tagging along on a road trip across the U.S. with Lee’s crew of press, Lee has to wrestle with how she could inspire someone to run through the line of fire like herself after looking through the barrel of the lens she’s shared with the world.

Ultimately, Its Human Story Makes Civil War One Of 2024’s Best Thus Far 

By every definition, including in the title itself, Civil War is a war movie. There are some rather intense sequences showcasing the realities of war, whether that be through lots of gun shooting, hostage situations or tragic death scenes. In other words, it has everything I don’t like about the genre, and yet I was completely and wholeheartedly all in for Civil War thanks to its really impressive character studies, performances by the actors who play them and general empathy for humanity. Alex Garland continues to be a top-tier filmmaker for me with this release on both the writing and directing fronts.

I’m not going to get into spoilers here, but experiencing Civil War rocked me to my core in a way that movies seldom can. There were multiple scenes both early on and halfway through the movie where I felt completely emotionally invested in the characters in ways that were really unique to seeing this movie. One moment in particular, which is actually technically an action scene, had me veering on tears because of how powerful it felt to me.

I think most of all, Civil War does an excellent job of putting the audience in the shoes of war photojournalists on the ground witnessing war and being part of it. In today’s day and age, we see videos and photos all the time, on our social media perhaps, of war, but an image or video is distant to us. Civil War reminds one of the work and pure risk it takes to tell the truth and capture the crimes and heroics in our world, and my mind is pretty much blown at the care to which Civil War puts its audience in the shoes of the terrifying reality of war, in a way that is not glamorous by any means.

I’m not the only person in the world who’ve been raving about this movie. CinemaBlend’s own Civil War review was given a perfect five out of five, and the movie has received high praise since the first reactions came out of its debut at SXSW last month. You can catch Civil War in theaters now.

It's no secret that superhero projects are everywhere, with various studios creating their own cinematic universe. But before fans spent years watching the Marvel movies in order, there was Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. After all three Spider-Men united for No Way Home, fans have been wanting to see new sequels from the previous two franchises. But would Kirsten Dunst be down for Spider-Man 3 with Tobey Maguire? Here's the latest from the acclaimed actress.

Kirsten Dunst played Mary Jane Watson in all three of Raimi's movies (which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription), and had killer chemistry with Tobey Maguire... even during their gross upside down kiss. Fans want to see one of the upcoming Marvel movies end up being a new sequel for the Raimi-verse. While Dunst would have returned for Spider-Man: No Way Home, does she want Spider-Man 4 to happen? She recently spoke to IndieWire about this concept, offering: 

Well, there you have it. While Kirsten Dunst would do another superhero movie for the money, she's not sure that a fourth Spider-Man movie is the move. After all, the trilogy ended back in 2007, so it's been well over a decade since she portrayed Mary Jane Watson. And now audiences are used to seeing Tom Holland and Zendaya as Peter and MJ. 

Despite Dunst's comments, there are still plenty of moviegoer who would like to see Sam Raimi's cancelled Spider-Man 4 finally arrive in theaters... especially after the ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

For his part, Raimi has also heard the rumors about Spider-Man 4 happening at Marvel. He denied any talks happening for him to return in this capacity, despite recently returning to the genre with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Still, smart money says fans are going to keep crossing their fingers to see the OG live-action Peter Parker and MJ Watson back on the big screen for another web swinging adventure.

Of course, fans don't only want to see another Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie. After Andrew Garfield's acclaimed performance in No Way Home, moviegoers also want to see another Amazing Spider-Man flick come to fruition. We'll just have to wait and see what the studio has up their sleeve, and if/when Tom Holland will return to the role.

The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Deadpool & Wolverine on July 26th. In the meantime, check the 2024 movie release dates. 

The tale of the famous Tom Cruise Christmas Cake is a Hollywood legend, but unlike most legends, this one is actually true. Every year around Christmas time, Cruise sends out white chocolate coconut bundt cake to some of his former co-stars and friends as a holiday gift from the Mission: Impossible actor. It’s an honor to get on the Christmas cake list, with celebs celebrating when they get the honor. However, many have wondered how long your name lasts on the list, and if there is an expiration date for how long you will receive a cake after working with Cruise on a movie. Kirsten Dunst worked with the actor 30 years ago, and is offering some insight.

It’s been three decades since Tom Cruise and Kirsten Dunst collaborated on The Interview with the Vampire. Dunst was only 11 years old at the time, and it was one of her first big on screen roles. Due to this collaboration, even before her teenage years, the Marie Antoinette actress earned a place on Cruise’s Christmas cake list. As it turns out, this is the gift that keeps on giving. The Oscar nominee told Entertainment Tonight that even after all these years, she is still receiving the cake each December, saying:

I guess there is no bounds for how long someone can continue getting that dessert, so excited co-star Glen Powell who recently made the cake list can expect to receive a package from Cruise every year with no end in sight. Years may pass between Top Guns and other potential collaborations, but time doesn’t seem to get you kicked off the cake list. Once you are on the exclusive list, you are on it for life. For Dunst, it must act as a nice reminder of some of her early acting days, and the experience she had at the beginning of her career. Also according to Tom Hanks, the cake is delicious, so who wouldn’t want to still be included?

Dunst also revealed that she is amongst one of Cruise’s luckiest former co-stars, as her household not only gets one but two Christmas cakes from the Jerry Maguire actor. Dunst’s husband is frequent collaborator Jesse Plemons, who she just worked with a third time on Alex Garland’s Civil War. Plemons has an impressive filmography of his own, and additionally worked with Cruise on American Made. This earned him his own Christmas cake, and therefore, their household receives double the cake around the holidays. She said:

This is a pretty cool flex. While A-listers like Michael Bay and Hayley Atwell can get excited about gorgeous bundt cake delivered year after year, not many can claim that they get two sent to their house. This makes me think if there is any other doubling up happening on the cake front. Cruise has worked with couple Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz individually as well, on Collateral and Vanilla Sky respectively, so I’d love to hear if they are also getting multiple cakes. With such a prolific career like Cruise, I wonder if he’ll ever draw a line in the sand. However, after that impressive Top Gun: Maverick payday, there is probably enough cake money to go around.

When Kirsten Dunst isn’t receiving gorgeous Christmas cakes from former co-stars, she is starring in some of the best movies in recent memory. You can see her in her latest film, Civil War, which is getting great reactions from critics and is currently playing in theaters nationwide. For more information on other exciting titles hitting the big screen later this year, make sure to consult our 2024 movie release schedule.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, thanks to theatrical projects as well as those available to stream with a Disney+ subscription. The shared universe has had some box office struggles recently, but the post-Endgame phase has also brought us beloved installments like Spider-Man: No Way Home. That movie included three Spider-Men and villains from the various franchises. It turns out Kirsten Dunst would have returned as MJ Watson if she was asked, and now I've got Zendaya-related FOMO.

The cast of Spider-Man: No Way Home was stacked, but there were a number of major characters who weren't included in the crossover event. Chief among them was Kirsten Dunst, who played MJ throughout Sam Raimi's trilogy. While speaking with GQ about her career, she was asked if she was asked to appear in No Way Home, saying:

Well, there you have it. While Alfred Molina, Willam Defoe and more reprised their Spider-Man roles in that 2021 blockbuster, the Bring It On actress wasn't asked. And Dunst has expressed her interest in returning to the superhero genre, albeit for the paycheck that comes with genre work. 

Kirsten Dunst played MJ to pitch perfection in the Sam Raimi trilogy (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription), although she admitted the upside down kiss with Tobey Maguire wasn't great to film. I would have loved to see her in Spider-Man: No Way Home, especially if she got to share screentime with Zendaya's MJ. 

When Zendaya was introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming she was simply named Michelle, before she revealed her friends call her MJ. This character is a new creation that isn't Mary Jane Watson, which is why I wish we could have seen Zendaya and Dunst share a scene in the acclaimed blockbuster.

While it was fun seeing the three Peters compare stories and abilities throughout No Way Home's runtime, I would have loved to see other characters swap stories. Since Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy died in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, that leaves just the two MJs. 

Alas, Dunst didn't get to appear as Mary Jane in Spider-Man: No Way Home. But some fans are hoping this will happen in an upcoming Marvel movie, as the success of No Way Home has fans hoping for new sequels from the previous two franchises. What we know about Spider-Man 4 is extremely limited, so fans are largely in the dark about what's coming next. 

Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy is streaming on Disney+ alongside The Amazing Spider-Man and certain MCU titles. The next Marvel movie hitting theaters is Deadpool 3 on July 26th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next trip to the movies. Hopefully we'll see Dunst return to the superhero genre soon. 

In Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire performed an unforgettable movie lip-lock that took place after the titular hero saved Mary Jane Watson in a band of thugs in an alleyway. While Maguire's Spidey is hanging upside down, MJ removed his mask halfway to give him a “thank you” kiss in the pouring rain. I love to watch romantic kisses in the rain as much as the next person, and this scene is great. Interestingly though, Dunst just got real about what filming that scene was really like, and yikes!

Kirsten Dunst has had some notable on-screen kisses throughout her career. For instance, she had to lock lips with Brad Pitt in Interview with a Vampire as an 11-year-old, and Dunst found that to be “gross.” Filming the infamous Spider-Man kiss much later was uncomfortable for her as well, it seems.That scene in one of the highest-grossing ‘00s movies, which is still referenced today, was apparently challenging for a few reasons. The Civil War actress shared on The Jonathan Ross Show (via The Independent) that partaking in the memorable scene was a “miserable” experience due to the rain, and she mentioned what it was like for her co-star as well:

Needless to say, that doesn't sound fun, and I can certainly understand why the Oscar nominee didn't have the best time shooting that. I can't even imagine wearing a costume like hers in the cold and being drenched by precipitation. As for Tobey Maguire not being able to breathe well in that scene, I can understand that, as the film’s lead had to perform some lip action while hanging upside down with rain pouring down. I guess, considering all of that, it was a good thing his co-star was there to "resuscitate" him.

On a side note, with that behind-the-scenes Spider-Man fact regarding the “book of famous kisses,” I’m really curious about which ones the actress looked over. It's not all that surprising that director Sam Raimi would want such care taking with that kiss. We've also learned that Raimi helped Kirsten Dunst prepare by reminding her to put some of her “Kirsten Dunst magic,” as he calls it, into his movie to help make that kiss a memorable moment. I believe one of the most beautiful elements of the upside-down smooch is that it feels earned and is not superfluous. It also sums up the feelings the two characters have for each other at that point. Considering people still talk about it positively, I'd say that Dunst, Raimi and co. pulled it off well.

So, even if we don’t see Kirsten Dunst do any more upside kisses with Tobey Maguire, could we ever see them share the screen again as Spider-Man and Mary Jane? A few years ago, the Bring It On actress said she could see herself playing MJ again. While sharing a funny take on joining the MCU, Dunst joked that she’d love to join the franchise, because it would pay for her house and kids. Considering Marvel has made $1 billion-earning flicks, I’d say a huge paycheck could certainly be a possibility if she were to sign on. Also, Maguire’s Peter did say in No Way Home that he and his MJ are still together, so I'm hopeful these two will appear on screen again.

It does stink that the romantic on-screen kiss Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire shared in the 2002 blockbuster was "miserable" to film. And, quite frankly, I wouldn't wish that experience on any actors. However, I suppose if it's any consolation, the two stars can take heart knowing that their efforts weren't in vain.

Feel free to relive that romantic moment, as Spider-Man is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription. The flick, along with other Spidey films, will also be re-released in theaters amid the 2024 movie schedule.

There was a time when music videos were as important as the radio in promoting the hottest artists and songs of the day. Back in the '80s and '90s, MTV was one of the most powerful cultural forces in the country, and that was reflected in how many stars you can spot in videos from the day. 

Sometimes, they were already huge stars, like Robin Williams and Chevy Chase, other times, they were actors looking to get their break and now, years later, we can marvel at their humble beginnings. This is a list of famous people in videos from the zenith of MTV highlights both.

Alicia Silverstone - "Cryin'"

Alicia Silverstone first got famous for starring in videos, specifically Aerosmith videos. The Clueless star appeared in three videos for the Boston rockers, the first for the song "Cryin'", then later showing up in the videos for "Amazing," alongside Dazed & Confused cast member Jason London. Silverstone's final appearance, and maybe the most famous video, was for the song "Crazy," alongside Steven Tyler's daughter, Liv Tyler. 

Courteney Cox - "Dancing In The Dark"

One of the most famous examples of a star getting her first break in a music video is, of course, Friends star Courteney Cox in the video for Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing In The Dark." The video, which came out in 1984, was directed by Brian De Palma and, according to Cox, she was one of several women Springsteen could have picked out of the audience, and it was random that he chose her. What kismit! 

Cindy Crawford - "Freedom '90"

Director David Fincher, who has had quite an amazing career in film, started in music videos. One of those videos, George Michaels' "Freedom '90," was challenging because Michaels told Fincher he wasn't going to appear in the video. Fincher decided to cast a bevy of famous supermodels to lip-sync the song, including Cindy Crawford in a bathtub. 

Eva Mendes - "Miami"

In 1998, a young actress from Miami was cast in a video for the Will Smith song, "Miami." Eva Mendes had starred in one direct-to-video movie at that point and was that actress. It would be another three years before her breakout role in Training Day. It's a brief moment in the video, as she drove her convertible next to Smith's on the causeway to Miami Beach.

In 1993, Janet Jackson was on top of the world. Her fifth album, janet. was another huge hit, selling millions of copies, partly on the strength of the single, "That's the Way Love Goes." Little did anyone know at the time that one of the extras in the video would go on to a career that eclipsed even Jackson's, a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez. 

Matt LeBlanc - "Miracle"

Bon Jovi's "Miracle" is, let's be frank, not the New Jersey legends' best work. One thing they did get right was the casting for the video. Matt LeBlanc was a young actor and model just starting out on a career, so while his job is really only to look good in this video, he certainly does. It would be a few more years before America was introduced to his comedic chops too. 

Hugh Laurie - "Walking On Broken Glass"

By the time Hugh Laurie appeared in the video for Annie Lennox's "Walking on Broken Glass" in 1992, he was already very famous in the UK. It would be a few more years until the legendary TV show House would debut in the US, making Laurie a household name on both sides of the pond. John Malkovich also stars in the video, reminding fans of his role in Dangerous Liaisons. 

Angelina Jolie - "Wondering"

Angelina Jolie was a model in Hollywood from her teen years on, so it's no wonder she would have a few videos of her resume, including The Rolling Stones' video for "Has Anybody Seen My Baby," but it is surprising to see her in a video for the Athens, GA-based jam band Widespread Panic's song "Wondering" from 1993. Jolie also appears on the cover of the band's album Everyday, which includes "Wondering."

Zooey Deschanel - "She's Got Issues"

Zooey Deschanel is as successful in music, with her duo She & Him as she is on the big screen, so of course she has an early credit in a music video. Deschanel appears with fiery red hair in the video for "She's Got Issues" by The Offspring. 

Naomi Campbell - "Is This Love"

Bob Marley died over four decades ago, but his legacy is as big as ever, with the release of the biopic One Love in 2024. Back in the day, the reggae superstar filmed a video in London for his song "Is This Love" featuring a couple of local kids, including a 7-year-old Naomi Campbell!  

Macaulay Culkin - "Black Or White"

Michael Jackson redefined what a music video could be with "Thriller" and after that, he often released short films that were much more than just a song, and often they had big stars in them. For "Black or White" in 1991, MJ brought in Macaulay Culkin and George Wendt to play father and son, for example. 

Christina Hendricks - "One Hit Wonder"

Long before Christina Hendricks hit the big time with her role in Mad Men, she was a model and struggling actor in the '90s. One of her earliest roles, way back in 1998, was in the video for "One Hit Wonder" by Everclear. Luckily for all of us, that wasn't her only hit. 

Matthew McConaughey - "Walkaway Joe"

Alright, alright, alright, we'll concede that Dazed and Confused is what made Matthew McConaughey famous, but before that, he appeared in Trisha Yearwood's video for her hit "Walkaway Joe," playing the titular character of the song. 

Wesley Snipes - "Bad"

For the second single, "Bad" from his album of the same name, Micheal Jackson teamed up with Martin Scorsese to make an 18-minute short film for the video. In the video, Jackson famously has a dance-off with his rivals in a New York subway station. One of the baddies is none other than Wesley Snipes, who only had a few credits under his belt previously. 

Patrick Swayze - "Rosanna"

Toto's song "Rosanna" is famously about Rosanna Arquette. Less well-known is that if you watch the video closely, you'll notice a familiar face as one of the West Side Story-like dancers. Patrick Swayze, one year before his big break in The Outsiders is one of the dancers. In an even cooler bit of trivia, another one of the uncredited dancers in the video is Cynthia Rhodes, who would co-star as Swayze's first dance partner, Penny, in Dirty Dancing. 

Elijah Wood - "Forever Your Girl"

Elijah Wood has been working in Hollywood forever. He started as a child actor in films like Back to the Future II and The Good Sun, but before those even, he had a part in Paula Abdul's video for "Forever Your Girl" in 1989. 

Chevy Chase - "You Can Call Me Al"

Chevy Chase was one of the biggest stars on the planet in 1986 when he starred in the video for "You Can Call Me Al" with his buddy Paul Simon. It is, no lie, one of Chase's best performances, and it's impossible not to crack up at his facial expressions and physical comedy in the video. 

Johnny Depp - "Into The Great Wide Open"

Johnny Depp has always wanted to be a rock star, so it was a great move by Tom Petty to get him to play the part of one in the video for "Into The Great Wide Open" in 1991. The video also stars the legendary Faye Dunaway and Gabrielle Anwar. 

Jennifer Connelly - "I Drove All Night"

The late, great Roy Orbison found almost as much fame after he died as he found in life. Two albums of all-new songs were released posthumously and one song, "I Drove All Night," released in 1992, featured Jennifer Connelly alongside Jason Priestly, in the video, along with Orbison in grainy images of an old TV appearance. 

Kirsten Dunst - "I Knew I Loved You"

Does anybody remember the band Savage Garden? The Aussie duo had a string of huge hits in the late '90s, including the song "I Knew I Loved You" which features Kirsten Dunst as a woman on a subway with whom the lead singer, Darren Hayes, is in love. 

Robin Williams - "Don't Worry, Be Happy"

Bobby McFerrin's 1988 song "Don't Worry, Be Happy" has to be one of the most surprising #1 hits of all time. The song was huge when it came out, and went on to win three Grammys. Someone must have had an inkling though, because superstar Robin Williams co-stars in the video with McFerrin. 

Kim Basinger - "Last Dance With Mary Jane"

Tom Petty made some legendary videos during his career, but the strangest has to be the one for "Last Dance With Mary Jane" which features Kim Basinger playing a corpse, dressed up as a bride. Great song, but a very weird video.

Keanu Reeves - "Rush, Rush"

1991 was a big year for Keanu Reeves. Not only did he star in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and Point Break, but he also appeared as a James Dean-like character in the video for "Rush, Rush" by Paula Abdul. 

Eddie Murphy - "Do You Remember The Time"

In case you've forgotten just how huge Michael Jackson was in the early '90s, remember there was a time he could premiere a video on MTV, BET, and Fox all at the same time. The video starred Jackson, of course, along with Eddie Murphy and Iman as ancient Egyptian royalty. Magic Johnson also appeared. 

Katie Holmes - "Tongue Tied"

Katie Holmes' career was just starting to take off in 1999 with her starring turn on Dawson's Creek. She also found some time to appear in the video for the song "Tongue Tied" by pop punk band Eve 6. It's not the last time Holmes has appeared in a video, either. A year later, in 2000, she starred with Micheal Douglas and others in a Bob Dylan video. 

Winona Ryder - "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child"

By far the award for the strangest appearance on this list goes to Winona Ryder in the video for Mojo Nixon's song "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child." Leave it to the late Nixon for coming up with the most ridiculous premise for a song, then landing a star like Ryder to star in the video in 1989, the same year she appeared in Heathers. 

RuPaul - "Love Shack"

If one were to guess which 1980s video to expect a RuPaul appearance, the smart money would be a B-52's video. That's exactly what happened in 1989 when RuPaul popped up very briefly in the video for "Love Shack" as a dancer and partygoer. He wasn't close to famous yet, but he was good friends with the band and he fits right into the campiness of the video. 

Benicio del Toro - "La Isla Bonita"

Benicio del Toro made his big screen debut in 1988 in Pee Wee's Big Top, but a year earlier, he was one of the extras in the video for Madonna's "La Isla Bonita." He is way in the background and can only be clearly seen in one shot, but when you watch the video, it's unmistakenly del Toro. 

Liv Tyler - "Crazy"

According to Liv Tyler, she didn't meet her biological father, Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler, until she was eight, and didn't know he was her father for another few years. Still, by the time she starred in the video for "Crazy," they had developed a healthy relationship, and the video, in which she co-stars with Alicia Silverstone, launched her career.

Captain Lou Albano - "Girls Just Want To Have Fun"

Cyndi Lauper was one of the biggest breakout stars of early MTV and for good reason. The low-budget video for her debut single, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" featured a quirky cast that included her mother (playing her mother), her lawyer, and wrestling star "Captain" Lou Albano as her father. It's a video as fun as the song and it was played on repeat in those early MTV days. 

John Goodman - "Wild Wild Life"

The song "Wild Wild Life" by The Talking Heads was part of their soundtrack for the David Byrne-directed film True Stories. For the video, he recruited some of the people who appear in the film, including John Goodman, who lip-syncs along with the song in a karaoke bar. 

LeVar Burton - "Word Up"

LeVar Burton first found fame as Kunta Kinte in Roots, one of the most memorable performances by any actor, ever. About a decade later, between Roots and Star Trek: The Next Generation, Burton popped up in the video for "Word Up" by Cameo, playing a police officer trying to arrest the band. 

One video we left off this list because it's just too big a list on its own is the video for Ghostbusters which, in addition to the stars of the film also includes Chevy Chase, Danny Devito, Peter Falk, Al Franken, John Candy, and more. It's all too much to add to his list of some of the coolest appearances of stars in music videos! 

The Oscars are not just all about the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, as they're also a time for honoring some of the greatest achievements in cinema during the year. Celebrities also take the opportunity to catch up with fellow 2024 Oscar winners and hang out with former co-stars and friends from the industry. Emma Stone did just that while celebrating her film Poor Things at the Academy Awards. The movie star was seen mingling with everyone and seemed to be having a great time. Of course, she never forgot why she was at the awards ceremony in the first place. With that, a hilarious video captured her running to support the Poor Things crew while in the middle of chatting with her husband, Dave McCary, and Kirsten Dunst. 

Oppenheimer was the biggest winner of the night, but Poor Things also cleaned up at the Oscars. The whimsical film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos won a number of below the line achievements like production design, costume design, and makeup and hairstyling. And, of course, Emma Stone won the award for Best Actress. While other prizes were being given out, she realized it was happening while she and her husband were talking to Kirsten Dunst, and immediately scurried off to go support her crew that were receiving Academy Awards. You can see a video from Refinery29's Instagram of the moment below:

If I didn’t already love the starlet enough, this video really takes the cake. She is so frantic when she realizes an award is being given out and immediately runs towards the theater. What makes it even funnier is that the shape of her dress constricts her ability to run, so it results in a hilarious swift waddle that is just incredible to watch. It takes Kristen Dunst and Dave McCrary a moment to realize what's going on but, when they do, McCary is quick to follow behind his wife, who seems to have made her way into the main auditorium.

While most people may not have known Emma Stone’s husband prior to his appearances by her side this awards season, their love was a real highlight of the Academy Awards. He followed the Easy A star around during the evening and  chatted with many of her friends. He also watched adoringly as Stone accepted her second Academy Award for Best Actress, courtesy of her work in Poor Things. He's also an accomplished creative in his own right, as he's a triple Emmy nominee for his writing contributions on Saturday Night Live. Their romance is everything, and he clearly knows his wife well, considering he seems unfazed when she essentially runs away from him in the video.

The confinements of the dress may not have stopped her from running, but it later posed a problem when she got on stage to receive her Oscar. The dress broke in the back, which the La La Land actress was quick to point out during her speech. It made the whole moment funnier, especially considering how flustered and surprised she was to be accepting the award. She claimed the dress may have broken during the iconic “I’m Just Ken” performance from her former co-star, Ryan Gosling. However, video evidence like this one shows that Stone gave that dress quite a workout throughout the night, so it could’ve happened at any time. On the whole, I'd like to think this was an evening that neither she -- nor her hubby or Kirsten Dunst -- will ever forget.

You can see Emma Stone and the various other Oscar-winning elements of Poor Things, which is currently available to stream for Hulu subscribers. The actress is also set to collaborate with Yorgos Lanthimos again for Kinds of Kindness, which is set to hit theaters later this year. You can also see Kirsten Dunst when A24's Civil War opens on April 12. For more information on flicks heading to the big screen in the near future, make sure to consult our 2024 movie release schedule.

Alex Garland, the writer and director behind projects including the 2022 horror Men and 2014’s sci-fi thriller Ex Machina is back with what some may consider horror of a different type with Civil War. The upcoming A24 movie is set in the near future during the United States’ second civil war, depicting a team of journalists’ struggle to survive. The dystopian action film, which is set to hit theaters in April, premiered at South by Southwest film festival, and it is garnering lots of attention as a “jaw-dropping,” “visceral cautionary tale.”

Civil War’s trailer looks like a weaponized panic attack, and many people are eager to see Alex Garland’s depiction of the fictional (but not altogether unrealistic) events. Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny star as two members of the news team, and according to CinemaBlend managing editor Sean O’Connell, the actresses’ performances are Oscar-worthy. He writes on X (Twitter): 

Other first reactions to Civil War echoed Sean O’Connell’s, with Scott Mantz writing that Alex Garland depicts a horrific scenario that America seems way too close to making a reality. The critic writes: 

The Hollywood Handle tweets that Civil War is leading the race for the year’s best film with its “terrifying” look at how tragic war can be. They say: 

If Dune: Part Two fans take issue with the claim that Alex Garland is delivering the best film of 2024, they’re really not going to like what Atom has to say, as the outlet isn’t even confining Civil War’s superiority to a specific year. According to the tweet thread: 

Some viewers, like Tucker Hazell are having a more visceral reaction than others. In Hazell’s words:  

Perri Nemiroff praises all aspects of the film, from the production value to immersive cinematography to the sound design. Alex Garland depicts a “deeply chilling reality" through the astonishing ensemble he’s assembled, Nemiroff says, writing: 

Civil War was already highly anticipated, coming out of A24 from the vision of Alex Garland, and after these reactions by the SXSW filmgoers, the buzz for this one isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie sits at 85% Fresh from 20 critics, so we’ll have to see how that changes as more people have the opportunity to see it when it hits theaters on Friday, April 12. In the meantime, check out our 2024 movie calendar to see what other films are headed our way soon. 

Have you ever watched news coverage of a devastating international conflict and thought, “I can’t imagine that ever happening here?” You no longer need to imagine. Using jaw-dropping production work, harrowing set design, and visceral war-ravaged camera operation, Alex Garland’s remarkable Civil War takes us on a white-knuckle road trip through a divided America, as a team of journalists race from tragedy to tragedy hoping to complete an assignment in Washington, D.C. before a modern war between the States reaches its bloody conclusion. It’s a tense, magnificent achievement, and a genuine conversation starter – which is how Garland wisely described the movie after it held its world premiere at the 2024 South By Southwest Film Festival. 

Garland’s no stranger to provocative, jarring works of fiction that beg the audience to read beneath the surface and analyze what they find. From his collaborations with Danny Boyle (The Beach, 28 Days Later, Sunshine) to his own directorial efforts (Ex Machina, Annihilation), Garland has imagined conflicted visions of the future that have been impacted by mankind’s follies. This one, as opposed to his science-fiction excursions, feels disturbingly modern. Though the time frame is never given, Civil War easily could take place 10 years into our future. Five years, even. 

The first of many intelligent decisions made on Civil War is to root the story in the journey of four journalists, making this a pivotal entry into the “Power of the Press” cinematic genre. And inside of that plotting, we find painfully honest tropes that fellow journalists will recognize, and applaud. There’s a moment early on in the film where grizzled war photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst) leaves a bar filled with reporters so she can finish uploading her latest files and pass out from exhaustion, and I nodded so hard at the accuracy, I strained my neck. 

As Civil War ramps up, Garland saddles Lee with a protege. Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) encounters the seasoned photographer at a protest that turns violent, then follows her back to the press hotel. Jessie wants to learn from Lee, who has zero interest in babysitting an intern in a war zone. But the next morning, Jessie’s in the van with Lee, video host Joel (Wagner Moura), and senior print reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) as their caravan heads from New York City to the front lines of the conflict: the nation’s Capitol. 

Despite what’s suggested in the Civil War trailer, Garland’s movie is shockingly apolitical. I legitimately feared that the movie would stoke political fires by taking sides in contemporary political arguments. But outside of establishing the existence of such bodies as The Florida Alliance and The Western Forces, Civil War just drops us in the middle of an American conflict without justifying the actions of any side. Instead, we observe as the journalists observe, and process as they record. And as Garland marches to each explosive set piece, we marvel at his team’s breathtaking production work, crafting a decimated American landscape that too often feels uncomfortably real.

As a journalist, this movie speaks to everything I value at my core. It’s an ode to the men and women who risk their lives to document the facts by capturing reality. It reiterates our need for people to report the truth. To paraphrase Lee, in one of the lessons she passes on to Jessie, “We record it so others can ask questions.” That doesn’t mean Garland refrains from commenting on the horrors that are shown in Civil War… or by saying more about the turmoil of our times in valuable exchanges. Garland’s layered script, as he mentioned, should trigger important conversations about where society has been, and where it is going. There’s a fantastic scene that haunts me still where the press caravan stops off in a small town that’s actively choosing to ignore the war that’s happening around them. It’s a needed detour that allows the characters to reconnect with the humanity that they’ve lost, and it’s more damaging than any of the bloody fights the movie offers up. 

Alex Garland’s Civil War is a must-see, one of the best upcoming 2024 movies I’ve been lucky enough to screen. And if you can, see it in IMAX, where the production values and cinematography get their full due. I also hate to make such ridiculous proclamations in March – days after the most recent Oscars telecast – but I have a feeling we will be talking about Garland’s film, and the performances by Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny, all awards season. This movie is that good. 

Stories about Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses have long been a Hollywood favorite. Sure, there are amazing fictional kings and queens like T’Challa in Black Panther and Abe Froman, the Sausage King of Chicago in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but this list is about the real ones. Historical depictions of some of the greatest, and worst, monarchs in world history. Kings like Henry VIII and Louis XIV. Queens like Elizabeth II and Victoria. Sure, the movies they appear in are not always the most historically accurate, but that doesn’t diminish the portrayals of royalty by these fine actors. 

Patrick McGoohan As King Edward I - Braveheart

Braveheart is far from the most historically accurate movie of all time, but one character that Mel Gibson and company at least got close to correct is Edward I, or Edward Longshanks, as he was known in the movie and at the time. He was a brutal, remorseless leader, and fought with the Scots for most of his reign. Patrick McGoohan’s performance of Edward is great, one of the real highlights of the movie. 

Judi Dench As Queen Elizabeth I - Shakespeare In Love

To be sure, Shakespeare In Love isn’t as loved today as it was when it was released in 1998. Its upset win for Best Picture at the 1999 Oscars over Saving Private Ryan is still questioned and the movie is often maligned unfairly. One reason it's unfair is Judi Dench’s fantastic performance as Queen Elizabeth I. 

Emily Blunt As Queen Victoria - The Young Victoria

Most of the images we see of Queen Victoria come from later her in her long reign, after Prince Albert died and the older queen was seen wearing black and looking dour. The Young Victoria is a fresh take, showing the queen, played by Emily Blunt, as young and vibrant. It wasn’t a huge hit in the United States, but it’s a really good movie, with a great performance by Blunt. 

Kenneth Branagh As King Henry V - Henry V

Kenneth Branagh has done more for Shakespeare in the modern age than anyone in Hollywood and the prime example is his portrayal of the titular king in Henry V. His delivery of the famous St. Crispin's Day speech is worth the price of admission alone. 

Colin Firth As King George VI - The King's Speech

Colin Firth’s performance and King George VI in The King’s Speech is as close to perfect as possible and well deserving of the Oscar he was awarded for it. Firth brilliantly plays both the reluctant king’s vulnerability and his strength. It’s a fine line to walk, as both are completely necessary to understand King George VI in full. 

Kirsten Dunst As Marie Antoinette - Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette is one of the most infamous royals of all time. The French queen is notorious in history for her aloof attitude towards the revolting French peasants during the French Revolution. The film Marie Antoinette starring Kirsten Dunst as the titular queen, did wow audiences at first, but has since become one of Sofia Coppola’s most respected films, and with good reason. It’s a very modern movie telling an old story and Dunst’s performance enhances that perfectly. 

Elizabeth Taylor As Cleopatra - Cleopatra

Elizabeth Taylor’s performance in Cleopatra is one of the most iconic in Hollywood history. Though it deserves some criticism from more enlightened modern audiences, it doesn’t diminish the performance. Taylor is amazing and only a star like her could carry a movie on the scale and scope of Cleopatra. It’s a true Hollywood epic from the Golden Age of Hollywood and Taylor is as glamorous as any actor could be. 

Timothée Chalamet As King Henry V - The King

It’s not easy for any actor to step into one of Shakespeare’s best characters like Henry V in Henry V. This is a character that Laurence Olivier played on the silver screen for goodness sake!  Timothée Chalamet took the risk and it paid off for the actor and audiences in The King. The movie is a new take on Shakespeare’s plays,  taken from his four plays about historical English kings, so the pressure was on. Chalamet kills it in the movie, playing the role quite differently as others have, but it works for the updated version. 

Cate Blanchett As Queen Elizabeth I - Elizabeth

Elizabeth is a wonderful movie, anchored by a wonderful performance by Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I. Blanchett returned for a sequel, Elizabeth: A Golden Age which was a less-than-wonderful movie, but Blanchett was once again great. The performances in both set a new standard for the historical figure who has been portrayed often on film. 

Janet Suzman As Tsarina Alexandra - Nicholas And Alexandra

One of the most pivotal moments of the 20th Century was the overthrow and execution of Tsar Nicolas of Russia and his family by the Bolsheviks during the Russian Revolution. It’s a story that has rarely been told on film in the West, but Nicholas And Alexandra is the rare exception. It’s a good movie, with a great Oscar-nominated performance by Janet Suzman.

Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi As King Cetshwayo - Zulu

Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi is not a professional actor, and the great 1964 film Zulu is his only appearance. His role as King Cetshwayo is also not a large one, but he makes this list because one, he was an actual Zulu chief in South Africa, and two, he was the son of the man he plays. King Cetshwayo who led the Zulu Kingdom at the time of the war depicted in the movie, so while the part was not big, it’s important to have it on this list. 

Jonathan Rhys Meyers As King Henry VIII - The Tudors

One of the most popular depictions of royalty on screen in the last couple of decades has to be Jonathan Rhys Meyers As King Henry VIII in The Tudors. Meyers plays a young, dashing version of the king that most people know from his later portraits, looking less healthy than the king was as a young man. Henry VIII is one of the most notorious kings in English history and Meyers shows why, but also plays him as anti-hero we all kind of love. 

Helen Mirren As Queen Elizabeth II - The Queen

Helen Mirren's performance as Queen Elizabeth in the Queen is everything you would expect, as the The Dame plays the role with respect, but with with a toughness that the queen was known for behind closed doors. 

Sean Connery As King Richard - Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves

We couldn’t make this list without one of the most famous cameos of all time. It’s one of the shorter roles on the list, but Sean Connery’s surprise appearance as King Richard at the end of Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves shocked and delighted audiences. In real life, King Richard spent almost none of his time on the island of Great Britain, preferring to remain in Aquitaine in France, so it’s a bit of a stretch that he would be at a wedding in England, but no matter, he makes everyone smile. 

Trine Dyrholm As Queen Margrete - Margrete: Queen Of The North

Margaret I of Denmark is one of the most important monarchs in European history, to say nothing of her being a woman in power in the Middle Ages, which was very rare. Her story is well known in Scandinavia, but less known in the United States. That’s even more reason to watch the Danish movie Margrete: Queen Of The North, along with Trine Dyrholm’s performance of the queen. 

Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton As Queen Elizabeth II - The Crown

How do you put only one of the three women who played Queen Elizabeth II on The Crown with such aplomb on this list? You can’t, so all three, Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, and Imelda Staunton all make it. Each one brought their own panache to the role of the now-legendary queen who we lost in 2022. Foy and Coleman both won Emmys for the role and Staunton was nominated in 2023. It’s three fantastic performances by three wonderful actresses. They even got to act together at the end. 

Nigel Hawthorne As King George III - The Madness Of King George

King George III is most famous in the United States for being the king we fought a revolution against. While he is considered one of the greatest kings in English history, he also had a severe undiagnosed mental illness that affected him later in life. It’s that part of his life that The Madness Of King George is about. It’s a hard role to play, but Nigel Hawthorne nails the role. 

Leonardo DiCaprio As King Louis XIV - The Man In The Iron Mask

There are surprisingly few portrayals of King Louis XIV of France in English-language cinema, despite the Sun King being one of the most consequential monarchs in European history. The most notable one is a fictionalized version of King Louis by Leonardo DiCaprio in The Man In The Iron Mask.

Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham Carter, and Lesley Manville As Princess Margaret - The Crown

One of the best achievements of The Crown (among many) was the show’s casting. The three actors who played Princess Margaret, Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham Carter, and Lesley Manville, all did an amazing job. You can’t pick one of the next because they all simply nailed the tragedy and triumph of the princess in the shadow of her older sister, Queen Elizabeth II. 

Olivia Coleman As Queen Anne - The Favourite

Olivia Coleman is great at playing royalty on screen, even when it’s a wildly fictionalized and weird version of Queen Anne like she does in The Favourite. The movie is very loosely based on history but is very much representative of director Yorgos Lanthimos’ style. So while Coleman may not be playing Queen Anne exactly as she was, it’s still a downright amazing performance. 

Natalie Dormer As Anne Boleyn - The Tudors

Natalie Dormer is perfectly cast as Anne Boleyn in The Tudors. She’s beautiful, yet vulnerable, coy, yet determined, and sweet, yet conniving. Boleyn is one of the most tragic queens in English history and it’s hard to picture anyone but Dormer playing her after she starred in this show. 

Richard Harris As King Arthur - Camelot

We could argue all day about how “real” King Arthur was. More myth than man in English folklore, there isn’t even consensus on whether he existed at all. But no matter, Richard Harris’ portrayal of the legend in Camelot is still worthy of mention on this list because it’s so darn good and so darn iconic. 

Oliver Dimsdale As King Edward VIII - Downton Abbey

In the finale of Season 4 of Downton Abbey, audiences meet Edward VIII when he is still Prince of Wales, before becoming king and before his abdication shocked the world. Though it’s not the biggest role, Oliver Dimsdale instantly gives you a sense of exactly who the future Duke of Windsor was, a conniving womanizer who really wasn't fit to be king. 

Katharine Hepburn As Eleanor Of Aquitaine - The Lion In Winter

It’s hard to understand why The Lion In Winter isn’t as remembered as other movies from the late ‘60s, because Katharine Hepburn's performance as Eleanor Of Aquitaine, the queen of England in the 12th Century, is amazing. She even took home an Oscar for it. 

Sean Bean as Odysseus - Troy

In the original theatrical version of Troy, Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, played by Sean Bean, doesn’t have all that big of a role. He’s a scene-stealer though. In the director’s cut, which makes for a much better movie, the role is expanded. Plus, it's a rare movie that Sean Bean doesn’t die in. 

Sigourney Weaver as Queen Isabella I - 1492: Conquest Of Paradise

There’s no way around this: 1492: Conquest Of Paradise is not a good movie. It’s historically inaccurate and celebrates Christopher Columbus a little too much while ignoring a lot of his atrocities. Still, Sigourney Weaver, while slightly miscast, does a phenomenal job with what she’s given to do as Queen Isabella I of Spain, Columbus’ benefactor. 

Tadanobu Asano As Genghis Khan - Mongol

If this was a list of the worst performances of royalty, John Wayne’s offensive and terrible version of Genghis Khan in The Conqueror would be at the top of the list. On the flip side, we have the Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano as the Mongolian king in Mongol. It’s not the most widely-known movie, as it’s a Russian production in Mandarin and Mongolian. It’s worth your time and effort to seek it out though, it’s fantastic. 

Judi Dench As Queen Victoria - Mrs. Brown

Is there a role out there that Dame Judi Dench doesn’t nail? That’s a rhetorical question, of course, and her performance as Queen Victoria in Mrs. Brown is certainly no exception. Though the actual history in the movie is dubious at best, putting that aside and enjoying the movie is easy with Dench as the recently widowed queen. 

Gerard Butler As Leonidas - 300

Of all the movies in this movie that stretch the true stories to their max, 300 wins in that category. Still, Gerard Butler’s portrayal of Leonidas is a fan-favorite for good reason. Sure, it’s mostly because he looks so darn good, but the movie is fun, exciting, and completely unique, so we’ll allow for a little historical nonsense. 

Richard Harris As Marcus Aurelius - Gladiator

Another movie on this list that takes a lot of liberties with its historical accuracy, Gladiator basically changes everything about Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) and Commodus’ (Joaquin Phoenix) real-life father/son relationship. But both Phoenix and Harris are fantastic in their roles, so again, we’ll allow it. 

Peter O'Toole As Henry II - The Lion In Winter

The Lion in Winter has a few excellent portrayals of royalty. Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Timothy Dalton as King Philip of France, and Anthony Hopkins as a young Richard The Lionhearted. Of course, the lead in the film, Peter O’Toole as Henry II is the lead for a reason. In a career filled with amazing performances, this is one of O’Toole’s best and resulted in one of his eight Best Actor nominations. 

Chris Pine As Robert The Bruce - Outlaw King

Robert The Bruce has been portrayed in a few films, probably most famously by Angus Macfadyen in Braveheart. While that performance is great, Outlaw King, with Chris Pine in the lead role, is a more historically accurate version of the story of Robert fighting the English and rising to King of the Scots. 

Audiences have always been fascinated by the lives of monarchs worldwide, and that is not likely to change anytime soon. We’ll continue to see great portrayals of royalty in entertainment for a long time to come. 

Kirsten Dunst will be making a huge return to the cinematic space thanks to her spot on the 2024 movie schedule as a part of director Alex Garland’s Civil War cast. But of course, even mentioning that title in the same breath as Ms. Dunst’s name probably has comic movie fans wondering if the former Spider-Man star would even consider playing a part in the MCU, or any comic franchise for that matter.

In an interview with Marie Claire, Kirsten Dunst got pretty honest about why she would, hypothetically, take on a role in the upcoming Marvel movies or TV shows ahead. I admire the woman’s candor, as Dunst put her cards on the table in the following terms:

Not only is that an honest answer, it’s a totally valid and natural reason for an actor like the Marie Antoinette star to consider such an option. That much is especially true after Tom Hollander’s MCU bonus revelation, which happened after accidentally receiving a check meant for current Spider-Man actor Tom Holland. 

Though Kirsten Dunst probably didn’t need that reminder. Her tenure in Sam Raimi’s previous trilogy more than likely fetched her a royal sum on the contemporary market those films were made in. It sounds like all that would have to happen is for the right offer to be made, and the OG Mary Jane Watson would return to the big screen. 

An offer of that sort shouldn't be hard to come by, especially in a post Spider-Man: No Way Home climate. With Marvel fans pushing for Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man return, the demand already seems to be readily apparent. MCU fans are open to the sort of friendly radioactive throwback to the days when a tie-in single from Chad Kroeger or Dashboard Confessional was not only required, but anticipated. 

With Marvel Studios being so fond of multi-film contracts, perhaps there's room for more of Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane, with or without her cinematic Peter Parker around for the ride. Perhaps we can finally see Dunst and Spider-Man 3 co-star Bryce Dallas Howard team up in Sony's Spider-Man Universe as a crime-solving duo that doesn't need powers to get the job done.

Honestly, as a fan of Kirsten Dunst, I'd be glad to see her get the opportunity to cash in a blank check for whatever MCU adjacent shenanigans she's up for. It's the least the industry could do thanks to her straightforward answer to a question a lot of actors face. Also, this is Kirsten Dunst we're talking here, and a solo Mary Jane film with her talents in the lead is too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Aspiring writers, the sky is the limit! But for now, let's exit this dark ride of speculation and wander back into the realm of reality. Fans of Kirsten Dunst will be able to see her in action through the first Civil War trailer, with the full film being released in traditional theaters and in IMAX, starting April 12th! Though for those of you looking to return to the classic Spider-Man movies, a Disney+ subscription is just the web you'll want to crawl into to get nostalgic.

Kirsten Dunst, the luminary actress who has brilliantly transitioned from a child star into a beacon of indie and mainstream cinema, is headed back to cinemas after a two-year acting hiatus. Her next project is the upcoming A24 movie Civil War, a thriller from visionary Alex Garland. In a recent interview ahead of her new movie's release, the Melancholia star opened up about her experiences on the set of the iconic Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, specifically an onset “joke” that made her feel uncomfortable.

The Oscar-nominated actress recently gave a career-spanning interview with our sister site Marie Claire, where she opened up about her time in the superhero genre. Dunst shared her experience of playing Peggy in season 2 of FX’s acclaimed series Fargo and discussed the level of confidence she brought to her character. But she admits that she didn't always have this confidence. Dunst opened up about a particular incident that occurred on the set of Spidey, where she didn't speak up for herself. As she tells it:

It's hard to believe that a situation like what occurred to Kirsten on the set of Spider-Man, joke or not, would happen today post-MeToo or on a set filled with women in key positions. The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind actress expressed her deep appreciation for the female directors she has worked with over the years, highlighting her experiences with pioneers like Gillian Armstrong, who directed Little Women in 1994. She continued:

The Jumanji veteran attributes her independence from seeking male approval in her career to these early influences. She deliberately chose to work with female directors such as Sofia Coppola, Leslye Headland, and Jane Campion, as she knows the industry's biases and how male directors may perceive her appearance. Dunst has been proactive in shaping her career path to overcome these obstacles. She shared how she told her manager:

Civil War sees Kirsten Dunst again sharing the screen with her husband, Jesse Plemons. Their on-screen partnership traces back to Fargo and continued through their critically acclaimed performance in one of the best recent Western films, The Power of the Dog (2021), which earned an Oscar nomination and is available to stream with a Netflix subscription In the A24 thriller, The Interview with the Vampire alum portrays a determined journalist navigating the perils of a Second Civil War, striving to convey the truth of the unfolding chaos to the public. The film's trailer hints at Plemons taking on the role of a formidable military figure, marking a departure from their previous collaborations. While the real-life couple won't depict their off-screen romance in this dystopian setting, their proven chemistry suggests their performances will be as compelling as their last collaborations. 

Civil War hits the 2024 movie is schedule on April 12. While Dunst may not be joining any upcoming superhero movies, you can catch her turn as Mary Jane in the original Spidey trilogy, which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription. 

The next upcoming A24 movie to look forward to is Alex Garland's thriller Civil War, a film about a team of journalists traveling across the United States while the country is going through a second civil war. While watching the trailer may make you feel like you're having a weaponized panic attack, on a nicer note, you’ll also get the chance to see real-life couple Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons work together again. Now, ahead of the film's release on the 2024 movie schedule, an insider dropped claims on how the married dynamic duo feels about working together.

It’s always adorable when you see real-life couples star in movies together, from Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep to Emily Blunt and John Krasinski in A Quiet Place. Married couple Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst are on this list too as they’ve been frequent collaborators on TV and film projects. And if you’re wondering how the Civil War duo feel about collaborating so much, an insider dropped a claim to US Magazine that should answer your question:

That’s so cute! That’s how you can tell a Hollywood A-list couple is feeling the love if they find every opportunity to be with each other. 

Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst first met when they joined Fargo's Season 2 cast. In their first collaboration, they played a young couple trying to cover up the hit-and-run of a crime family member. It was through playing a married couple that they felt the real-life chemistry existed. Plemons and Dunst got engaged in 2017, and they had two boys before having a secret wedding in 2022. 

These two lovebirds didn’t stop at Fargo in terms of more collaborations. Dunst and Plemons starred in one of the best recent Western films, The Power of the Dog in 2021. In this Oscar-nominated film (which is available with a Netflix subscription), wealthy ranch owner George (Plemons) marries widowed inn owner Rose (Dunst). While the marriage between the newlyweds gets complicated through the presence of George’s brother's cruel taunts, the two share sweet moments like when Rose teaches George how to dance. 

Jesse Plemons told People in 2021: 

Well, the Game Night actor got his wish by getting to work with his wife again in the dystopian film Civil War. When it comes to what we know so far about the A24 movie, Kirsten Dunst’s character is a journalist trying to survive in the second Civil War long enough to tell the public what’s happening. From the looks of the trailer, it appears that the Friday Night Lights star will be playing a dark military adversary. So, the off-screen lovebirds may not play husband-and-wife in this one or have any cute moments to be in awe over, but I’m sure they’ll still kill it in their roles.

According to US Magazine’s insider, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst reportedly love working together on projects. Hopefully, Civil War -- which comes out on April 12 --isn’t the last time we see of the two as they’re a real dream team, and their natural chemistry is enjoyable to see. 

There’s going to be a Civil War on the 2024 movie schedule, as A24’s latest film from writer/director Alex Garland is another movie poised to make audiences think while they panic. As the Kirsten Dunst-led drama has finally revealed more details of its secretive plot, the result is a trailer that looks like a weaponized panic attack that’ll take audiences by storm. And thanks to that impression, that’s exactly why I can’t wait to see this movie. 

First, let’s lay down the basics. In the footage provided above, in a United States of the not too distant future, a second civil war is in progress. With states seceding yet again, and combat erupting on our domestic homefront, a war journalist (Kirsten Dunst) makes her way through the country covering those tensions. That sounds simple enough, and even Civil War’s logline seems pretty cut and dry, as this is how A24 has described the story: 

That sort of verbiage sounds more like watching election night coverage than an all out war on American soil. But at the same time, it’s absolutely fitting after watching the trailer to Civil War. However, this is the medium of cinema, and seeing/hearing this world in action is where the panic really starts to set in, as far as I’m concerned. 

For the most part, Alex Garland is the kind of creator that likes to dive into the world of high concept sci-fi movies; as we’ve seen in Ex Machina, Annihilation, and most recently Men. However, Civil War technically hews closer to his work on one of the 100 best movies of the 2000s, the horror classic 28 Days Later. 

With both films following a group of travelers trying to make a perilous journey through a vastly changed landscape, and questioning who they can really trust along the way, that familiar DNA is part of what intrigues me so much. And with a cast that includes Cailee Spaeny, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jesse Plemons, and Nick Offerman, that reality is only further primed to be realized in convincing detail.

The other component that has me amped to be potentially frightened by Civil War is the fact that it’s quite possibly Alex Garland’s most grounded movie ever. Even something as bittersweet as Never Let Me Go had a sci-fi angle that distanced itself from the world we live in. 

While that never scaled back the scares, action, or heartbreak that we’ve seen in his filmography, Garland’s new concept looks like it’s ripped from the world at large. Especially when the imagery used to promote the film includes this chilling teaser poster: 

That’s where the panic attacks will most likely come from in Civil War, especially since Garland has honed his skills at commenting on the modern world through more outlandish means. Taking that knack and applying it a world that seems so similar to our own is scary could make for some really upsetting and tension filled moments. 

With that being said, one could say that this is the purpose of stories such as this, and as a sucker for a good allegory that hits close to home, I can’t wait for this movie to make me think…in the moments I remember to breathe. Civil War breaks out in theaters on April 26, 2024; so we'll all have plenty of time to prepare ourselves. 

In the meantime, if you want to check out what upcoming movies are set to close 2023 out on a strong note, that information is readily available too. Think of it as a nice break from anxiety inducing fictionalized conflicts hitting close to home.

The phrase “former child star” is most often associated with someone who was famous when they were much younger, but is not quite as well-known — or, perhaps, does not even act anymore — as a grown-up. Yet, for every starlet who has risen and fallen, there are just as many who have beaten the odds and have gone onto bigger and better things as adults, like these beloved celebrities.

Macaulay Culkin

The first person you might think of when you think of “former child stars” could be Macaulay Culkin, who was on top of the world when he led the original Home Alone cast as Kevin McCallister. While his notoriety would slow in subsequent years, it is always a treat to see him show up in ensembles like the American Horror Story Season 10 cast or Kid Cudi’s Entergalactic cast.

Lukas Haas

Lukas Haas was one of the most acclaimed young actors of his time with leading roles in 1985’s Witness, opposite Harrison Ford, and the underrated ghost story, Lady in White, from 1988. He has since made a living taking smaller roles in otherwise big movies like Inception and Babylon, plus he's shown up on TV shows like The Righteous Gemstones and War of the Worlds.

Jurnee Smollett

With an Emmy nomination for HBO’s Lovecraft Country, a scene-stealing role in DC’s Birds of Prey, and a stellar turn in Amazon Prime’s The Burial, Jurnee Smollett has established herself as one of the strongest talents of her time. However, that was already clear with her recurring role in Full House and her astonishing performance in 1997’s acclaimed Black horror movie, Eve’s Bayou, when she was still a child.

Jason Bateman

From his debut role on Little House on the Prairie to his years on the sitcom Valerie (which would become The Hogan Family), Jason Bateman showed great versatility as a performer in his younger years. He has upheld that reputation ever since, as seen by his Emmy-nominated work leading the Arrested Development cast and, later, the Ozark cast. His ability to shift from starring in funny movies like Horrible Bosses to dramas like Air is remarkable.

Dakota Fanning

Racking up more than 20 credits before she turned 10, Dakota Fanning was everywhere in the early 2000s — catching the attention of filmmakers like Steven Spielberg for War of the Worlds and holding her own against actors like Robert DeNiro in Hide and Seek. Save her age, nothing much has changed for the actor, who appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cast and reunited with her Man on Fire co-star, Denzel Washington, in 2023’s The Equalizer 3.

Ryan Gosling

A 13-year-old Ryan Gosling entered show business as a Mouseketeer, paving the way for him to star in back-to-back scary anthology TV shows for kids (Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps), lead Young Hercules, and more. Leading 2004’s The Notebook cast paved the way for him to be an action hero in Drive and Blade Runner 2049. On top of all that, he also earned Oscar nominations for Half Nelson and La La Land, and made us laugh as part of the The Nice Guys ensemble and the Barbie cast as Ken.

Brie Larson

After some faux ads on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show marked her debut at 9, Brie Larson went on to star in a family sitcom with the late Bob Saget (Raising Dad), was in a YA novel adaptation (Hoot), and she even had a singing career in her teens. Now, she is a comic book movie star (for appearing in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and playing the MCU’s Captain Marvel), and she has an Oscar for Room from 2015.

Kenan Thompson

On All That — Nickelodeon’s answer to Saturday Night Live — one of the young cast’s most prominent breakouts was Kenan Thompson, who went on to co-lead his own kid-friendly sitcom with Kel Mitchell, aptly named Kenan & Kel. The Emmy winner went on to break the record for longest-running SNL actor and lead his own adult sitcom, Kenan.

David Krumholtz

After making his debut playing a child actor in 1993’s Life with Mikey, David Krumholtz became a prominent child actor with roles in Addams Family Values as Wednesday’s love interest and Tim Allen’s head elf, Bernard, in The Santa Clause. The crime procedural, Numb3rs, earned him greater recognition, leading to a career that includes lending his voice to Sausage Party, appearing in the Oppenheimer cast, and reprising Bernard on Disney+’s series, The Santa Clauses.

Neil Patrick Harris

Playing a kid genius on Doogie Howser M.D. made Neil Patrick Harris a household name, which he acknowledged when he later played himself in Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle. Of course, the five-time Emmy winner is better known today as Barney Stinson from the How I Met Your Mother cast, Count Olaf on Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and so much more.

Josh Brolin

At 17, first-time actor Josh Brolin immediately made his mark on pop culture as part of the Goonies cast in the role of Brand Walsh. However, he really got heads turning at 39 when he starred in one of the best movies of the 2000s, No Country for Old Men. The son of Hollywood veteran James Brolin has an Oscar nomination for Milk and multiple comic book movie roles under his belt (Jonah Hex, MCU’s Thanos, and Cable in Deadpool 2), among other great achievements. 

Haley Joel Osment

After debuting in Forrest Gump and starring on The Jeff Foxworthy Show, Haley Joel Osment’s Oscar-nominated performance in, arguably, the best M. Night Shyamalan movie, 1999’s The Sixth Sense, made him a sensation. He went on to earn leading parts in Pay It Forward and Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence. More recently, Osment has been known to pop up in the most unexpected places — Kevin Smith’s Tusk, a guest role on The Boys, Netflix's animated fantasy series Dogs in Space, to name a few — but always with grand results.

Ethan Hawke

After debuting in Joe Dante’s Explorers at 15, Ethan Hawke only grew in prominence in his later teens and throughout his 20s by starring in Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites, etc. He went on to earn Academy Award nominations for Training Day and Boyhood. He completed Richard Linklater’s Before Trilogy with 2013’s Before Midnight, became a Scream King with great horror movies like Sinister, and he's done a fair amount of work behind the scenes, too.

Abigail Breslin

Just four years after M. Night Shyamalan gave 6-year-old Abigail Breslin her big break with Signs, her role in the Little Miss Sunshine cast made her one of the youngest Oscar nominees of all time. As she matured, so would her roles — such as a teenage murder suspect in Stillwater or a vigilante in the Accused cast for Fox.

Mayim Bialik

Mayim Bialik stole the show from the Big Bang Theory cast as Amy Farrah Fowler and later led Fox’s Call Me Kat in the title role. However, the Jeopardy! host’s status as sitcom royalty dates back to the ‘90s as the star of Blossom.

Brenda Song

Perhaps Brenda Song’s most iconic character is London Tipton from the Suite Life franchise — which is just one of the roles that made her a prominent Disney Channel star. Beyond the children’s cable giant, she was in one of the best David Fincher movies, The Social Network, led Netflix’s Secret Obsession, and had a main role in Hulu’s Dollface.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Despite being removed for disruptive behavior when making his show business debut on Romper Room at 3 years old (as he revealed to David Letterman), Leonardo DiCaprio went on to lead a winning child actor’s career that included a season on Growing Pains and an Academy Award nomination for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? Things would only get better as he grew up, earning even more Oscar nominations — and one win for The Revenant — and becoming as important to Martin Scorsese’s filmography as his This Boy’s Life co-star, Robert DeNiro, whom he reunited with in 2023’s Killers of the Flower Moon.

Tyler James Williams

Tyler James Williams started out appearing on Sesame Street before landing the title role of Chris Rock’s autobiographical sitcom, Everybody Hates Chris. Following an acclaimed indie comedy (Dear White People) and a recurring role on the Walking Dead cast, the actor became sitcom royalty again when he joined the Abbott Elementary cast, which earned him multiple Emmy nods.

Kurt Russell

Former Disney star Kurt Russell made his feature debut in 1963’s It Happened at the World’s Fair alongside Elvis Presley, and he went on to play him in a made-for-TV biopic and Forrest Gump. Several great movie roles later, Russell is one of the top action heroes of all time, and now he's working with his family by joining the Monarch: Legacy of Monsters cast alongside his son, Wyatt, who is playing his younger self.

Jodie Foster

After getting her start on TV at a very young age (the first gig being The Doris Day Show), Jodie Foster got a head start on the more mature roles she would become known for when she appeared in Taxi Driver at 14. The two-time Academy Award winner (for The Accused and Best Picture Oscar winner The Silence of the Lambs) would continue to work from both in front of and behind the camera.

Johnny Galecki

In 1989, 14-year-old Johnny Galecki appeared as Rusty in the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation cast, and he also starred in another holiday classic, Prancer. I would not be surprised if many did not realize that Leonard from The Big Bang Theory was the same actor, but they were likely more hip to that fact by the time he reprised his role from Roseanne, David Healy, on The Conners.

Miranda Cosgrove

Even with Jack Black in the lead, Miranda Cosgrove stole the show in 2003’s School of Rock, and she went on to do the same thing as the evil Megan in the Nickelodeon sitcom, Drake & Josh. One of her most notable credits as an adult was a Paramount+ exclusive revival of iCarly — another Nickelodeon show she led as a teen.

Keke Palmer

Her bombastic debut role in Barbershop 2: Back in Business made it clear that then-9-year-old Keke Palmer was a powerhouse talent. The Emmy winner would continue to demonstrate her skill as the lead of Akeelah and the Bee and much later in life as part of Jordan Peele’s Nope cast.

Mark-Paul Gosselaar

While Zach Morris from the Saved by the Bell cast is still the role he is best known for — he even reprised it in a Peacock exclusive revival — Mark-Paul Gosselaar managed to prove his versatility in later years. He had a successful stint as a detective on NYPD Blue, played a rebellious lawyer on Franklin & Bash, and an abusive captor in NBC’s Found.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Before starring on the great ‘90s TV show, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Joseph Gordon-Levitt made multiple TV appearances and starred in classic movies like Angels in the Outfield and A River Runs Through It. These days, he is best known for his many collaborations with Rian Johnson, his Golden Globe-nominated turns in (500) Days of Summer and 50/50, and running the creative collaboration platform HitRecord.

Sean Astin

Before playing the title role of Rudy and starring in the Lord of the Rings movies as Sam, Sean Astin was best known as Mikey in The Goonies. In addition to his accomplished voice acting career, one of his most celebrated roles as of late is Bob Newby from the Season 2 cast of Stranger Things — a show very much inspired by The Goonies.

Kirsten Dunst

After making her film debut in star-studded The Bonfire of the Vanities, Kirsten Dunst really made an impression at 12 playing a 70-year-old bloodsucker in Interview with the Vampire. Starring in the Spider-Man movies as Mary Jane Watson swung her right into the A-list and, in 2022, she received an Academy Award nomination for The Power of the Dog.

Kieran Culkin

With his roles in the Home Alone movies and in Steve Martin movies (both parts of Father of the Bride), it seemed like Kieran Culkin was on his way to the same level of stardom as his brother, Macaulay. However, it was not until later in life when he was thrice Emmy-nominated for starring in HBO’s Succession cast that he became the star he was destined to be.

Selena Gomez

Before leading Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place made Selena Gomez a star, she got her start on Barney in the early 2000s. She now has two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her performance on Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building cast and a Daytime Emmy nod for her Max original cooking show, Selena + Chef.

Elle Fanning

Before breaking out in the Super 8 cast, Elle Fanning’s claim to fame for a while was starring as a younger version of sister, Dakota, in I Am Sam and Taken. Now, she has an Emmy nomination for leading Hulu’s The Great, which is just one of the many Victorian-era roles she has played in more recent years.

Christina Ricci

For years, Christina Ricci’s performance in Barry Sonnenfeld’s Addams Family movies was the definitive iteration of young Wednesday Addams. The Yellowjackets cast member got to revisit those days with her supporting role on Netflix’s Wednesday cast, opposite Jenna Ortega in the lead this time.

Danica McKellar

Some of the most memorably endearing moments from the original Wonder Years involved Danica McKellar’s Winnie Cooper and her puppy love relationship with Fred Savage as Kevin Arnold. Romance is a big part of the actor’s career these days, primarily appearing in popular Hallmark movies like Christmas She Wrote and Swing into Romance.

Knowing the kind of career they would one day lead, I am sure these celebrities wear their “former child star” identities as a badge of honor.

It’s been over 20 years since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man first brought the beloved comic book character to the big screen with Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker. An especially memorable element of the original trilogy was the superhero’s somewhat tragic love story with Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson. Two decades ago may feel like just yesterday to many fans of the movies, but for kids just growing up right now, it’s highly likely they haven’t even discovered those movies. That includes Dunst’s own children, apparently. 

Kirsten Dunst shares two young children with her husband Jesse Plemons, who is a fellow actor. They have two sons, five-year-old Ennis and two-year-old James. As the Spider-Man actress shared on Instagram, one of her kids has started getting into the iconic character, and he has “no clue” just who his mom is yet. Check out the post: 

Isn’t that adorable? Dunst shared a sweet photograph of one of her sons holding up a Spider-Man umbrella and donning a matching red t-shirt in a photo her husband took. As she noted, it sounds like the couple have yet to show the original Spider-Man trilogy to their kids, so he’s just out here living life oblivious to the fact that his mother is one of the most famous actors associated with the Spider-Man film world. 

Given the age group of her kids, I don’t blame the actress for slowing her roll when it comes to exposing her kids to the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy, especially with the complicated concept of their parents being famous actors who fill roles like Spider-Man’s girlfriend and all. I imagine a young child who is the son of Dunst wouldn't witness her upside-down kissing Tobey Maguire’s Spidey without asking a lot of questions and becoming unbelievably confused. 

Additionally, it’s pretty wild to imagine how Dunst’s kids will likely grow up knowing Zendaya as MJ first before their mother as the same character! They also are having their childhood in a time when there are more Spider-Man movies than ever, between the MCU, the animated Spider-Verse movies and even the Andrew Garfield-led films. Of course if this Spider-Man obsession continues, Dunst’s kids are going to find out eventually, and I wish I could see the look on their faces when they make the discovery! 

Kirsten Dunst’s three Spider-Man movies are now streaming with a Disney+ subscription. Following Tobey Maguire returning to the franchise in 2021 with No Way Home, I wonder if the Dunst’s MJ might return too. While the actrss has shared that she has not been asked to reprise the role, it would be wonderful to see her and Maguire’s Peter Parker finally get some closure after the disappointing way Spider-Man 3 ended that film series. Plus, now her kids would absolutely geek at the idea of their mom coming back as MJ… that is. once they find out. 

The distinguished Cannes Film Festival continues this weekend with more high-profile movie premieres, including Martin Scorsese’s latest movie, Killers Of the Flower Moon. And among the attendees at the glamorous red carpet event on Saturday were the leads of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Let me tell you, seeing the OG Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson pose for the same event had me in my feels about Spider-Man 3. 

Kirsten Dunst walked the carpet in the France city as a date to husband Jesse Plemons, who is among the stars in Killers of the Flower Moon alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Brendan Fraser. Variety shared a video of the married couple happily posing in formal wear at the event along with sharing another post of Tobey Maguire in attendance. Maguire is a longtime friend of DiCaprio, and he apparently went to the premiere in support of his pal whom he's been friends with since their early days in Hollywood in the '90s. 

While the coverage of the premiere didn’t see Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire crossing paths, I'll be honest, I wistfully imagined that the Spider-Man actors interacted with each other at some point during the star-studded affair. Look I know the Spider-Man trilogy is fiction and very much separate from the lives of the two Hollywood stars, but seeing them attend the same event does remind this fan of the melancholic ending of Spider-Man 3. Remember how it had the ill-fated lovers slow-dancing without much closure about where their characters would go next? I'm not over it. 

It’s no secret Spider-Man 3 is a bit of a hot mess, but more than anything it was heartbreaking to see the relationship that was built across the trilogy fall apart. Thank goodness we got Spider-Man: No Way Home back in 2021, which finally gave Tobey Maguire a chance to step into the Spidey suit again and leave a sweeter taste in the mouths of fans regarding the fate of his character. Though Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson did not appear, the actress has shared that she thinks that reprising her iconic Marvel role “could happen.” 

Dunst and Maguire were both at Cannes in support of Killers of the Flower Moon, Scorsese’s upcoming book adaptation of the true-crime novel of the same name about the Osage Murders at a time when the FBI had been newly formed. Check out the Killers of the Flower Moon trailer that has us expecting thinking the movie is about to get all the Oscars:

While I’m bummed we didn’t see a face-to-face reunion between the Spider-Man stars, their appearance at the Cannes premiere does come as Sam Raimi’s trilogy recently arrived on Disney+. All three Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies are currently streaming along with The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Venom. Although Maguire and Dunst got to see the first showing of Scorsese’s movie Saturday, the rest of us will have to wait for Killers of the Flower Moon, which arrives in theaters on October 20. 

Talks of a theatrical Bring It On sequel have been floating around for some time. One of the biggest proponents of a potential follow-up has been Isis actress Gabrielle Union. In fact, she’s been the most vocal about it. Despite all the sequel talk, there haven’t been any updates in some time. While everything on the Bring It On front has been quiet, Union decided to throw out a killer idea for the long-overdue sequel.

The Bring It On alum’s idea came up as the cheerleading teen comedy was celebrating its theatrical release 22 years ago. Gabrielle Union hopped on her Twitter account and retweet a post from a magazine acknowledging the special occasion. But rather than do a simple retweet, Union decided to throw out her take on a possible sequel to the cult classic. In her tweet, the actress couldn’t help but acknowledge the passage of her time in a unique way. Check out Gabrielle Union’s full tweet below.

Mentioning Isis being the mother of a teenager may call for a sequel alert. Union wasn’t wrong with her estimation as Isis was a high school senior in the original film. Of course, the following sequels didn’t keep up with the Clovers cheer squad leader’s life. Her post-high school could include a child who’s the same age she was in 2000.

Many fans would be excited at this potential, considering moviegoers always wanted to see more of the strong-headed leader and her East Compton cheerleading team. Getting a sequel focused on Isis’s offspring could rectify the situation. Gabrielle Union spoke on her regrets for muzzling her character while shooting Bring It On despite having all autonomy over her portrayal. It would be nice to see how her kid’s cheerleading experience might be similar or different to hers. The real question is… would Torrance Shipman or her offspring be the main rival again or start with a clean slate and new obstacles?

The push for an official sequel to the 2000 film has been going on for years. Torrance Shipman herself Kirsten Dunst has been down for a sequel since 2019. Union also spoke on the matter when the teen comedy was celebrating its 20th anniversary by saying on The Late Late Show with James Corden the sequel was absolutely happening with the entire cast ready to reprise their roles. Original Bring It On writer Jessica Bendinger and director Peyton Reed have been open to doing a proper sequel to the original film. So, it appears that everyone is on board and ready for cheer stunts.

The original Bring It On became a surprise hit in 2000, raking in more than $90 million at the box office. The film marked Kristen Dunst’s first leading role in a film and Gabrielle Union’s first key role after appearing in a series of 1990s teen classics, including She’s All That. The cheerleading cult classic has continued to live on without the original cast and crew through six- direct-to-video sequels and a stage musical adaptation.

If you want to watch every cheer-teraction between the Toros and Clovers, get an Amazon Prime subscription to rent or buy Bring It On. Once you’re done with the cult classic, you can watch the best movies on the streamer.

The career of Kirsten Dunst never ceases to both amaze and intimidate me. Just when I think I’m having a productive day, my Dunst-centric intrusive thoughts come knocking on my brain’s door with the outrageous fact that she held her own acting opposite both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise when she landed the role in Interview with a Vampire at a mere 10 years old. 

Dunst is currently under 40 years old and has a resume of works spanning the last 30 years that are so impressive that it’s tough pinpoint just which performances are her best - but we’re sure going to try! We’ve put together a list of 10 of the best Kirsten Dunst movies and TV shows from the powerhouse actress and how you can watch them streaming.

Honorable Mention: Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

When most people think of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, they go straight to Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet erasing each other from their memories. The film dives into the idea that people can just delete their memories, and the consequences of losing our own thoughts.

While Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet are certainly the main characters and put on a stellar performance, Kirsten Dunst just has a small part in the film. Although she’s but a small part of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, her role adds quite a bit to the message of the film, and the movie is worth a rewatch for her supporting performance alone.

Stream Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on Starz.
Rent/Buy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind digitally on Amazon.
Buy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

Interview with the Vampire was one of the first film adaptations of an Anne Rice novel, and it remains a classic today. Kirsten Dunst starred opposite both a young Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the film, and the three make up a vampire family of sorts living in Louisiana in the 1700s. The film follows the head of the family, Cruise's Lestat, and how he came to both create and lose the other two vampires.

Dunst plays the cold and detached child vampire, Claudia. Since she can’t age, her maturity far surpasses her child body, and Kristen Dunst does a phenomenal job capturing the dismal existence an adult would have, forever trapped in the body of a child. It’s absolutely insane to think of a real life 10 year old playing a 65(ish)-year-old vampire, and it’s an impressive feat by Dunst. 

Rent/Buy Interview with the Vampire digitally on Amazon.
Buy Interview with the Vampire on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Jumanji (1995)

Another film that showcases just what kind of films Kirsten Dunst was pushing out when she was a mere pre-teen, Jumanji remains a vital movie in pretty much any collection and is a source of nostalgia for more than just one generation. Dunst's character and her on-screen brother find a mysterious board game that comes to life when they play it. Naturally, chaos ensues. 

Kristen Dunst was filming Jumanji around the time of Little Women (opposite Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder), and this classic children’s film is another in which Dunst played opposite an absolute icon: Robin Williams. Dunst, again, does a phenomenal job of acting out a very outlandish fantasy world and leaves other child actors in the dust with her skills, the film is a must-see for Williams, as well.

Rent/Buy Jumanji digitally on Amazon.
Buy Jumanji on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

On Becoming A God In Central Florida (2019)

Kirsten Dunst doesn’t star in many series, but when she does, she really brings it. On Becoming God in Central Florida is a dark comedy that explores the toxicity of pyramid schemes in the early ‘90s, and Dunst’s character pretty much has her life wrapped up in one. Refusing to be poor ever again, she takes matters into her own hands after her husband (played by Alexander Skarsgård) is eaten by an alligator. 

On Becoming a God in Central Florida is hilarious and keeps viewers on their toes pretty much throughout the entirety of the series. Kirsten Dunst is amazing, and we see a very different side of her in this ‘90s era show, compared to where she was in her career during the same time period in real life, and I’m all about it. 

Stream On Becoming a God in Central Florida on Showtime.
Buy On Becoming a God in Central Florida digitally on Amazon.
Buy On Becoming a God in Central Florida on DVD on Amazon.

Bring It On (2000)

This list would not be complete if Bring It On wasn’t on it. It, like many of Kirsten Dunst’s other works, has achieved cult status, and I can still recite an alarming number of lines from the cheerleading film over 20 years later. The film centers on a two rival cheer squads as they head to a huge competition, and their new cheer captains as they navigate the rivalry.

Not only is Kirsten Dunst’s performance Grade-A in Bring It On, but also those of her many co-stars. This film made Gabrielle Union and Eliza Dushku my heroes and lady crushes pretty much for life. There are so many iconic scenes in this film, I can’t even begin to count. It’s both a must-see and a must-revisit.

Buy Bring It On on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)

Yet another cult classic on the resume of the great Kirsten Dunst, Drop Dead Gorgeous centers on a beauty pageant where contestants are murdered to make the way clear for the killer to nab the crown. It’s a dark comedy thriller that everybody has to see at least once.

Kirsten Dunst is acting opposite Kirstie Alley, who is fantastic in the film, and stars like Brittany Murphy and Amy Adams. Drop Dead Gorgeous had a slew of other recognizable faces as well, and is just an all-around good time to watch, even decades later. Dunst puts on a southern bell accent and kills it in a role that kind of feels like a natural pre-cursor to Bring It On. 

Buy Drop Dead Gorgeous on DVD on Amazon.

Fargo (2015)

Inspired by the 1996 film of the same name, Fargo is an anthology style series that introduces new characters set in a midwest town as they get involved with crime and murder investigations that end up being connected. 

Fargo is a two-fold recommendation, because both fans of Kirsten Dunst and fans of the OG film will love one of the best FX series. The series definitely stands up to the original and does it justice, with great performances from the whole cast. Dunst appeared in the second season of Fargo, and received some major acclaim for the role, including being nominated for an Emmy.

Stream Fargo on Hulu.
Buy Fargo digitally on Amazon.
Buy Fargo Season 2 on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Power Of The Dog (2021)

The Power of the Dog is both a western and psychological drama led by Benedict Cumberbatch, whose character is a harsh rancher whose heart softens after getting to know his brother's new family. While there have been choice words for the film from fellow western actor Sam Elliott, it's gotten some massive praise and currently has a rating of over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.

With how fantastic an actress Kirsten Dunst has pretty much always been, she just keeps getting better. The Power of the Dog is her most recently released film and it marks her very first Oscar nomination (very hard to believe she’s never been nominated before, I know). While she didn't win the award, her performance definitely deserved her finally being recognized for her acting chops.

Stream The Power of the Dog on Netflix.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Marie Antoinette is basically a biopic of the titular French queen, but it’s also so much more than that. With gorgeous cinematography and a soundtrack with songs from bands like The Strokes and The Cure, Marie Antoinette breaks away from your typical historical drama. The film has a number of less than great reviews, but you don’t have to look further than Netflix’s Bridgerton to see how a sexy, modernized period drama can appeal to the masses and create something pretty special. 

This film is absolutely a stand-out film for Kirsten Dunst, even though she has many widely known titles in her movie credits. Dunst has worked with director Sofia Coppola a number of times, Marie Antoinette being an underrated film for both Hollywood powerhouses. Dunst’s performance in the film was iconic, even if she did say she was uncomfortable filming the steamy scenes.

Rent/Buy Marie Antoinette digitally on Amazon.
Buy Marie Antoinette on Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Melancholia (2011)

Another film with some absolutely beautiful cinematography, Melancholia tells the story of two sisters as the world is about to come to a crashing end when a planet collides with Earth. The film explores mental illness and how one may react to such a dire situation, as Kirsten Dunst’s character suffers from depression. She is getting married despite impending doom, and the series of events that unfold during the big day lead her into another depressive episode.

Melancholia is not a feel-good film, but it is a reflective and thoughtful one. Dunst does a great job of portraying the extremes that mental illness and depression can reach, once again accomplishing an impressive feat.

Stream Melancholia on Roku.
Buy/Rent Melancholia digitally on Amazon.
Buy Melancholia on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Virgin Suicides (1999)

The Virgin Suicides centers on a family of five mysterious sisters who have very strict, overbearing parents and the group of four boys who become enamored with them. The film specifically focuses on Kirsten Dunst’s character, as the storyteller is the older version of the boy who is pining for her. She's more strong willed than her sisters, and tries to break free from their parents’ domineering ways.

The Virgin Suicides is the first film that Sofia Coppola and Kirsten Dunst worked together on, and it is probably the most renowned of their team-ups. It is another Dunst film that has some interesting and striking visuals, and I honestly can't get enough of how at home Dunst is in low-key artsy films. It's a throwback well worth a watch.

Stream The Virgin Suicides on Paramount+.
Stream The Virgin Suicides on Amazon Prime.
Buy The Virgin Suicides on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Spider-Man Franchise (2002 - 2007)

Did you really think we weren’t going to get to the whopper that is the Spider-Man franchise? The three-film franchise with Tobey Maguire as the titular superhero is pretty vital, no matter who your favorite Spidey is. While it’s a real shame we didn’t get to see Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane come back through the Multiverse like we did with Maguire, rewatching the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films and revisiting that iconic upside down kiss is the next best thing. 

While the Spider-Man films may be a step away from what we typically see Kirsten Dunst in, she completely rocked the comic book character Mary Jane Watson, and she is the face of the character for a whole generation. It’s not a role that will be forgotten anytime soon. Unfortunately, you can’t watch the Kirsten Dunst/Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films streaming at the moment, but you can buy or rent them all.

Buy The Spider-Man Trilogy digitally on Amazon.
Buy The Spider-Man Trilogy on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

It’s hard to believe that Kristen Dunst could still very much have a number of decades of work in her future when she has already given her skills to so many films that are now considered classics. I think Dunst is an all-around underrated actress (just look at that Oscars bit from this year), especially since her face is so recognizable. While the actress has a hell of a future ahead of her if she stays in the Hollywood game, her past films are definitely worth a revisit.

Onscreen kisses are a dime a dozen, but the memorable ones leave an impression that audiences continue to reference. One of those kisses was the upside-down kiss between Spider-Man stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. That was all part of Sam Raimi’s genius. For many moviegoers, the intimate moment seemed physically challenging for the actors, but it was more challenging to shoot the scene. The Spider-Man director opened up about how he helped Dunst prepare for the iconic scene with Maguire.

The Power of the Dog actress had to kiss her co-star (who was upside down) while soaking wet in the rain. While the moment seemed nonsensical at the time, it created cinematic magic that OG Spider-Man fans still talk about to this day. But to capture that magic, Sam Raimi recalled giving the Oscar nominee a scrapbook of famous movie kisses to inspire her. The filmmaker spoke with Rolling Stone about how creating the book of kisses made an impact on the final version of the scene.

As seen in the final kiss scene, Raimi’s direction worked. Kirsten Dunst gave the lip lock her all as she and Tobey Maguire had to create a heated moment from varying angles. Their commitment worked and set the tone for Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s relationship. So here's the next question: what films were in that scrapbook did the director use to inspire the Bring It On alum? The possibilities are endless.

To say the co-stars made something special is an understatement. As Sam Raimi mentioned, it was the magic between cult classic’s leading stars that sold viewers on their chemistry, but it was also his vision that helped create the magical moment. So the cinematic kiss was a collaboration that paid off in the end.

All this talk about the original Spider-Man films is nothing new for the Ash Evil Dead creator. Fans have been wanting him and his two former leading stars to reunite to finally make the ill-fated Spider-Man 4. Raimi has been open to re-teaming with Tobey Maguire (following his appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home) in a new film, even if it isn’t Spidey-related. The comments eventually led to Sony cheekily responding to OG Spider-Man fans’ sequel inquiries. Some fans are speculating the actor and director could reunite for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. If they do reunite, Kirsten Dunst is willing to reprise her role as MJ as she joked about joining the MCU for financial reasons after not appearing in No Way Home.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the trio might reunite at some point, whther it's Spidey-related or not. But before that becomes a reality, audiences will get to catch Raimi’s Marvel return in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which hits theaters on May 6. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst aren’t slouching either, as they have upcoming movies set to arrive in 2022. You can relive the original Spider-Man trilogy by renting or buying the movies on Amazon.

The 2022 Academy Awards will go down in history as one of the most controversial years of the ceremony, specifically because of the viral moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith on the Oscar stage. But that’s not the only moment that left viewers talking and getting a little mad. Many people were not amused by a joke Amy Schumer told seemingly at the expense of Kirsten Dunst, so much so that the comedian has shared that she received “death threats.” 

Following the telecast, Amy Schumer took to her social media to clarify for the Oscars audience that a moment between her, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons during the show was a “choreographed bit.” Now that more time has passed since the show, the comedian recently shared on The Howard Stern Show that she did that specifically due to all the death threats she was getting about the joke. 

During the interview, Amy Schumer shared that people were really not happy at the part during the show where she had The Power of the Dog actress get out of her seat, after accusing her of being a “seat-filler,” to sit next to Kirsten Dunst's co-star and husband Jesse Plemons. As Schumer shared: 

In the segment toward the end of the show, Amy Schumer gave a shout-out to the seat fillers that come to the Oscars and often briefly take the spots of famous guests while they go to the bathroom or “to cry” for those who don’t win. Schumer approached a table where Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst were sitting, watch what happened from there: 

Amy Schumer escorted Kirsten Dunst before taking her spot and telling her real-life husband that she “loved” him in The Power of the Dog. Plemons let her know that Dunst is his wife, to which she delivers the punchline “You’re married to that seat filler?” During the telecast, it did play as a bit awkward, and audiences may not have known that Dunst and Plemons were totally in on it.

During Schumer’s post-Oscars interview with Howard Stern, the comedian said that she actually ran her jokes by those she was making fun of prior to co-hosting the show. She shared that she asked Leonardo DiCaprio about his trend of dating younger women, to which he said “go ahead.” She also reached out to Will Smith in regards to the joke about Hollywood making a movie about Serena and Venus Williams’ dad after years of ignoring women’s stories as well. 

In regards to the Will Smith moment, Amy Schumer called the moment “traumatizing” for everyone. Wanda Sykes, who co-hosted the event with Schumer and Regina Hall, previously shared her wishes for Will Smith to be escorted out of the event after the altercation, but instead he won his first Oscar shortly after to a standing ovation. Smith has since resigned from the Academy and been banned from future Oscar ceremonies for the next decade. Additionally, two two movies Smith was set to star in have been placed on pause. 

If you're still in the awards season mood, you can check out how to stream all the 2022 Best Picture nominees here on CinemaBlend. 

When it comes to the '90s, there are so many iconic movies that I’m sure every single one of you has seen reading this article. But with these iconic movies comes iconic film roles, and these actresses were some of the best in the business. Here are several actresses with some truly iconic film roles in '90s movies. 

Kate Winslet (Titanic)

Considering Titanic was once the biggest film in the world, it’s not surprising the first pick here is Kate Winslet, who played Rose DeWitt Bukater. It’s certainly one of Winslet’s best films so far, and put her on the fast track to become the famous actor she is today.  

Gwyneth Paltrow (Se7en)

While Gwyneth Paltrow known amazingly well now from her variety of film performances, her role of Tracy Mills in Se7en is certainly an iconic one, with her character playing an essential role throughout the story. It wasn’t that long after she would star in Shakespeare in Love and win an Academy Award for her acting. 

Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct)

Yes, this is Sharon Stone from that controversial scene in Basic Instinct. But no one can deny that her performance in this film was great, and she acted her butt off in this erotic thriller. Every single scene she was in, she stole the show.

Jodie Foster (The Silence Of The Lambs)

The '90s were filled to the brim with iconic horror films like The Silence of the Lambs, and was only the third film in history to win the Big Five at the Academy Awards - Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Actor. Best Actress went to Jodie Foster for her amazing portrayal of Clarice Starling. 

Sandra Bullock (Speed)

While Sandra Bullock is currently busy in 2022 with her film, The Lost City, one of her first big roles ever was starring alongside Keanu Reeves in the action film, Speed, portraying Annie Porter, the main love interest of the film and a total badass. 

Winona Ryder (Edward Scissorhands)

This is definitely one of Winona Ryder’s best movies. Playing Kim Boggs in Edward Scissorhands, Ryder perfectly captured what true kindness is meant to look like, and her love story with Edward is one for the history books that anyone would adore to witness.  

Rachel Leigh Cook (She’s All That)

While the reboot, He’s All That, made plenty of references to the original film, She’s All That just can’t be beaten, and that includes Rachel Leigh Cook’s iconic performance as Laney Boggs. I mean, who could forget that memorable “Kiss Me” scene? It’s the epitome of teen movie makeovers. You have to love it. 

Meryl Streep (The Bridges Of Madison County)

Meryl Streep has been around for many years in the movie industry and has some amazing films under her belt. And while she did plenty of movies in the '90s, my personal favorite performance of hers was in The Bridges of Madison County, where she played Francesca Johnson, a married mother who has a steamy four-day love affair with a photojournalist. Her chemistry with Clint Eastwood is second to none. 

Meg Ryan (Sleepless In Seattle, You’ve Got Mail)

A legendary queen of romantic comedies, you could not stop Meg Ryan in the '90s. Not only was she in two iconic roles in romantic comedies, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, both of those films were alongside Tom Hanks and showed just how amazing their chemistry is. 

Demi Moore (Ghost)

That damn pottery scene has been recreated by so many people - I mean, even Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart recreated it! - but no one can quite beat Demi Moore's performance. She shined in her leading role of Molly Jensen alongside Patrick Swayze. I think all of us have wished at least once we were in her shoes. 

Sarah Michelle Gellar (I Know What You Did Last Summer)

While plenty of folks know Sarah Michelle Gellar for her portrayal of Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gellar starred in another horror hit that same year portraying Helen Shivers in I Know What You Did Last Summer, giving a masterclass in chase scenes in horror movies. 

Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act, Ghost)

Whoopi Goldberg is certainly an iconic name that I am sure you’ve heard of plenty of times before, and she had not one but two iconic roles in the '90s. To me, my favorite is her lead role in Sister Act, starring as Deloris Van Cartier and bringing some soul into religion, but I can’t not mention her Academy Award-nominated performance as Oda Mae Brown in Ghost. 

Julia Roberts (Pretty Woman)

It’s one of Julia Roberts' best movies. Pretty Woman has some pretty iconic scenes, but none of them could have been accomplished if not for the charming performance that Roberts delivered as Vivian. I’m pretty sure every time I’ve watched that movie, all I want is to be in that bathtub. That looks so damn nice.

Drew Barrymore (Scream) 

Drew Barrymore was only in the first twelve minutes of the first Scream movie, and yet her scene has become iconic in every sense of the word. You go up to a horror movie fan and ask “do you like scary movies?” and they’ll know exactly what film its from as well as what scene - and Drew Barrymore is the star of it. 

Neve Campbell (Scream)

Even if Drew Barrymore was the star of the first twelve minutes, it was Neve Campbell that became the star of the Scream franchise, reprising her role in every single new film since, showing just how badass she is as the ultimate final girl. 

Reese Witherspoon (Cruel Intentions)

Witherspoon has been in many movies and some great TV shows, but back in the '90s, she was still just starting out, and Cruel Intentions was a breakthrough role for her. She played Annette Hargrove, a young woman who was the target of the two main characters of the film. In this '90s movie, she showed just how talented she is at acting. 

Alicia Silverstone (Clueless)

Ugh, as if! Alicia Silverstone truly stole the screen when she played Cher in Clueless, a story about a teenage girl who ends up befriending a new student and decides to give her a makeover. I mean, those outfits alone are definitely iconic enough for her to be on this list.  

Laura Dern (Jurassic Park)

Raise your hand if you’re excited to see Laura Dern back in Jurassic World: Dominion. *Raises hand* Regardless, Laura Dern in the original Jurassic Park was freaking amazing, and Dr. Ellie Sattler was a badass that I looked up to, and I can’t wait to see what she’s been up to after all these years. 

Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You)

Ugh, 10 Things I Hate About You is one of my favorites, and it’s legit because of the chemistry that Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger have in this film. They are my all-time favorite romantic couple and Julia Stiles rocks it as Kat. 

Halle Berry (Jungle Fever)

While Halle Berry has been in plenty of badass roles over the last two decades, there was a time where she was just getting started in Hollywood. One of the first films that she had a supporting role in was Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever, where she played Vivian. While she's gone on to play more prominent roles since then, it was one of the movies that broke her out onto the scene and paved the way for bigger things down the line, like X-Men and Monster’s Ball. 

Natalie Portman (Star Wars: The Phantom Menace)

Padme Amidala, known as the Queen/Senator of Naboo and Anakin Skywalker's lover (later wife) was a Star Wars character that made her debut in 1999, and was a badass in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Natalie Portman portrayed the legendary Star Wars character for the prequel trilogy, and inspired young girls everywhere - but we don’t need to talk about how her character ends in Revenge of the Sith. 

Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction)

While my personal all-time favorite Uma Thurman performance is her role in Kill Bill, one of her biggest roles prior to this was portraying Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction, earning her a nomination at the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor. I mean, she was the literal character featured on the poster for this film, and honestly, I can see why. She has such star appeal. She has plenty of great performances but this is one of her best. 

Mena Suvari (American Beauty)

This 1999 film, American Beauty, told a captivating story about a man having a midlife crisis, but the main star to me of this was Mena Suvari as Angela Hayes, the object of affection for the main character, Lester Burnham. Even if the film didn’t age too well, I think we call agree Suvari was phenomenal in it. 

Robin Wright (Forrest Gump)

If you’re not saying “Jenny” by the end of Forrest Gump in a Southern drawl, I don’t think we were watching the same film. This Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks told the story of Forrest Gump and his legendary life, often times where he would think of his young love, Jenny, played by Robin Wright. Their love story is a tumultuous one, but a memorable one as well. 

Kirsten Dunst (Interview With The Vampire)

Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire is iconic for many reasons, showing how amazingly talented she was as an actress at the tender age of eleven. She later went on to star in films like Bring it On and Spider-Man, but no one can quite forget her character, Claudia.

Salma Hayek (Desperado)

Salma Hayek has been in many different kinds of films, such as being a part of the Grown Ups cast or starring in The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, but Desperado was one of the early films that made her the star she is today. Starring alongside Antonio Banderas as Carolina, Hayek was badass and her character was just as amazing. It’s definitely one of her best movies, and I would watch another film with both her and Banderas.  

Angela Bassett (What’s Love Got To Do With It, Waiting To Exhale) 

Angela Bassett is a master-class actress, and has shown just how amazingly talented she is in any role. I mean, there are so many movie parts that she should have been nominated for an Oscar, However, one of her most iconic roles from the '90s did indeed earn her nominations - her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. And another great role for Bassett in the '90s was Bernadine Harris in Waiting to Exhale. Both of these movies were great showcases of her acting prowess. 

Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard)

“And I will always love you.” 

You know the song, I know you do. It’s one of the most iconic songs of all time and has been performed by so many people. Even though it was originally written by Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston sang this iconic song for the soundtrack for The Bodyguard, where she played Rachel Marron, a famous singer who falls for the bodyguard tasked with protecting her. 

Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies)

Last but not least, we have Michelle Yeoh in Tomorrow Never Dies. While she’s been in plenty of amazing movies such as Crazy Rich Asians and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, one of my personal favorites of hers is her role as Wai Lin, a Chinese spy and an ally to James Bond. 

Yeoh is a bloody badass. This James Bond alum truly defined the term “kick ass and take names” because she was one of the best Bond girls ever, in my opinion. I would gladly see her return to the franchise alongside Pierce Brosnan, but I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon, so I’ll just re-watch this movie over and over. 

There are truly so many other iconic roles, but these are some of the best that you should check out again next time you want to watch a great movie. Now, if you don’t mind me, I’m going to re-watch Jurassic Park again before the latest sequel.  

2021 wasn't quite the "back to normal" year at the movies that we were all hoping it would be, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. If nothing else, most of the 2022 Oscar nominees were at the very least released in actual movie theaters. And 2021 was a solid year for movies with strong contenders expected to do well tonight including The Power of the Dog, West Side Story and Dune.

While this year's Academy Awards broadcast will be dealing with some degree of controversy following the decision to not give out all the Oscars live, it should nonetheless be an interesting show. Follow along with us live as we update the list below as the awards are given out.

Best Picture

• Belfast
• CODA
• Don't Look Up
• Drive My Car
• Dune
• King Richard
• Licorice Pizza
• Nightmare Alley
• The Power of the Dog
• West Side Story

Best Directing

• Belfast, Kenneth Branagh
• Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi
• Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson
• The Power of the Dog, Jane Campion
• West Side Story, Steven Spielberg

Best Actress In A Leading Role

• Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
• Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
• Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
• Kristen Stewart, Spencer

Best Actor In A Leading Role

• Javier Bardem, Being the Ricardos
• Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog
• Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick... BOOM!
• Will Smith, King Richard
• Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Actress In A Supporting Role

• Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter
• Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
• Judi Dench, Belfast
• Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
• Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Best Actor In A Supporting Role

• Ciarán Hinds, Belfast
• Troy Kotsur, CODA
• Jesse Plemons, The Power of the Dog
• J.K Simmons, Being the Ricardos
• Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

• Belfast
• Don't Look Up
• King Richard
• Licorice Pizza
• The Worst Person in the World

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

• CODA
• Drive My Car
• Dune
• The Lost Daughter
• The Power of the Dog

Best Animated Feature Film

• Encanto
• Flee
• Luca
• The Mitchells vs. The Machines
• Raya and the Last Dragon

Best International Feature Film

• Drive My Car, Japan
• Flee, Denmark
• The Hand of God, Italy
• Lunana: A Yakin the Classroom, Bhutan
• The Worst Person in the World, Norway

Best Documentary (Feature)

• Ascension
• Attica
• Flee
• Summer of Soul(...Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
• Writing With Fire

Best Production Design

• Dune
• Nightmare Alley
• The Power of the Dog
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• West Side Story

Best Cinematography

• Dune
• Nightmare Alley
• The Power of the Dog
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• West Side Story

Best Costume Design

• Cruella
• Cyrano
• Dune
• Nightmare Alley
• West Side Story

Best Film Editing

• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• King Richard
• The Power of the Dog
• Tick, Tick...BOOM!

Best Makeup And Hairstyling

• Coming 2 America
• Cruella
• Dune
• The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• House of Gucci

Best Music (Original Score)

• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• Encanto
• Parallel Mothers
• The Power of the Dog

Best Music (Original Song)

• "Be Alive," King Richard
• "Dos Oruguitas," Encanto
• "Down To Joy," Belfast
• "No Time to Die," No Time to Die
• "Somehow You Do," Four Good Days 

Best Sound

• Belfast
• Dune
• No Time to Die
• The Power of the Dog
• West Side Story

Best Visual Effects

• Dune
• Free Guy
• No Time To Die
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Spider-Man: No Way Home

Best Short Film (Animated)

• Affairs of the Heart
• Bestia
• Boxballet
• Robin Robin
• The Windshield Wiper

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

• Audible
• Lead Me Home
• The Queen of Basketball
• Three Songs For Benazir
• When We Were Bullies

Best Short Film (Live Action)

• Ala Kachuu - Take And Run
• The Dress
• The Long Goodbye
• On My Mind
• Please Hold

Did your favorite film of 2021 take home an Oscar?

With Phase Four, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has opened the multiversal floodgates in a major way. The long-running franchise has found some interesting ways to utilize the multiverse so far, and Spider-Man: No Way Home is a firm example of that notion. The third film in Tom Holland’s superhero trilogy brought back the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield iterations of the hero along with some of their respective villains. Of course, not everyone from the classic franchises made it back for the fun flick, including OG Mary Jane Kirsten Dunst. The star is more than aware that some of her former co-stars recently got to reprise their roles, and she now has a funny take on returning for an MCU production herself.

Kirsten Dunst was believed to be appearing in No Way Home, though she eventually shot down the rumors. She joked that she was “the only one” not in the movie and that the producers couldn’t “put an old girl in there.” However, the actress is definitely open to returning as Mary Jane Watson, and her hilarious reason for wanting to join is so relatable:

Making movies and enjoying the creative process is great, but financial security is nice, too. You can’t help but laugh and appreciate the actress’ honesty during her interview with Backstage. Sure, she’s not exactly wanting when it comes to cash but, like many in Hollywood, she surely knows how profitable the MCU has been since its inception in 2008. Spider-Man: No Way Home alone raked in big numbers at the box office and reached a number of major milestones in the process. So all in all, it’s not surprising that the Oscar nominee would want a piece of the pie. 

If Kirsten Dunst were to join a Marvel Studios flick, she’d likely be shrewd when it comes to her check. She’s been open about the “extreme” pay disparity that existed between herself and Tobey Maguire back in the day. While Dunst acknowledges that he was the lead, she’s pointed out that she stood alongside him as the co-lead for the entirety of that trilogy. She’s certainly proved herself to be one of the entertainment industry’s top stars since then, and her value has grown as a result. Surely Marvel Studios would be willing to oblige her if it were to seek her out for a new project. 

It’s not all about the money for the Power of the Dog standout, though, as she has genuine affection for the franchise and the character she played. She appears to be just as excited about Spider-Man: No Way Home as everyone else is. As of this past January, she’d yet to see the film for herself but said that she’d like to watch it with her young son. 

There’s definitely still room for Kirsten Dunst to show up in an MCU movie, especially if rumors of Tobey Maguire’s alleged return in Doctor Strange 2 turn out to be true. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out. It’s good to know, however, that Dunst is ready to play in the superhero sandbox once more – and earn some cash for her kids and house while she’s at it.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is now available on Digital HD and will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray (which is already on sale) and DVD on April 12th.

Spider-Man: No Way Home was one hell of a multiversal affair, with the spell Doctor Strange cast for Tom Holland’s Peter Parker bringing all kinds of people from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb-helmed Spider-Man movies into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Contrary to the rumors that swirled  around months before the movie’s release, Kirsten Dunst did not take part in the action as Mary Jane Watson. However, the actress sounds like she’s game to return to one of her most popular roles.

Kirsten Dunst starred opposite Tobey Maguire in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, with the first movie arriving two years after the actress’ turn as Torrance Shipman in Bring It On. It’s been 15 years since we last saw her as Mary Jane Watson in Spider-Man 3, but in a conversation with Deadline, the actress was asked if she would have liked to play the character in Spider-Man: No Way Home, and she responded:

While working on the Spider-Man movies wasn’t a perfect experience for Kirsten Dunst, from the pay disparity with Tobey Maguire to standing her ground on not doing certain stuntwork that made her uncomfortable, overall it sounds like she enjoyed her time as Mary Jane Watson. After all, if she truly wanted to leave that corner of her career far behind her, she wouldn’t have left a proverbial door open for her to return. Following Maguire’s Spidey return in Spider-Man: No Way Home, if he’s brought back as the Webbed Wonder for another movie, seeing him next to Dunst’s Mary Jane again would kick the nostalgia up a notch.

Spider-Man 3 put Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s relationship through the wringer, but by the end of the movie, following the death of Harry Osborn, they began the reconciliation process. While Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t share what Mary Jane Watson is specifically up to these days, Tobey Maguire’s Peter did say that he and his Mary Jane were able to make their relationship work after a long time of it being “complicated.” In other words, she’s still in his life, so it wouldn’t be difficult to whip up a scenario where either Mary Jane is transported alongside her Peter to another corner of the multiverse, or we reunite with her in the Raimiverse if someone like Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is thrown out of their home reality.

As far as the live-action Spider-Man film franchise goes, all we know at the moment is that there’s a fourth Tom Holland-starring movie in active development. That said, Andrew Garfield is open to reprising his version of the Web-Slinger again, and while Tobey Maguire hasn’t commented on if he’d want to play his Spidey for a fifth time, some fans believe that we might see him in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Should it be officially announced someday that Maguire will reprise Spider-Man again, you can be sure there are a lot of fans who would to see him and Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson together again.

Until then, you can watch Spider-Man: No Way Home in the comfort of your own… well, home, on digital starting March 22, and the Blu-ray and DVD copies will be released on April 12. As for Kirsten Dunst, she’s scored a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Netflix’s The Power of the Dog, which costars her real life husband Jesse Plemons, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Thomasin McKenzie.

This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the 2022 Oscar nominations, and Andrew Garfield was among the five talents picked in the Best Actor category. No, he didn’t get a nomination for his incredible long-game lie about returning to play Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home (even though that’d be totally deserved). Garfield is being recognized for portraying Rent playwright Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick… Boom!, and funny enough, a bunch of other former Spider-Man actors also picked up Oscar nominations this year alongside him. 

Following the Tuesday morning announcement that Andrew Garfield is among a crop of great actors from Spider-Man’s past to be recognized by the Academy, the actor shared his reaction. In his words to Entertainment Weekly: 

Andrew Garfield and his Spider-Man: No Way Home co-star Benedict Cumberbatch were nominated in the same Best Actor category ahead of this year’s Oscars. Cumberbatch is being recognized for his role in The Power of the Dog with , and the other competitors include Javier Bardem for Being the Ricardos, Will Smith for King Richard and Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth. 

Additionally, J.K. Simmons, who reprised the role of J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man: No Way Home with Garfield and Cumberbatch, is also in the running for an Oscar this year for the Best Supporting Actor category for Being the Ricardos. Also, Kirsten Dunst, who played Mary Jane Watson in the original Spider-Man trilogy, could win Best Actress for her performance in The Power of the Dog. 

It's also worth mentioning Spider-Man: No Way Home’s nomination for Best Visual Effects. Disney was campaigning for the latest Spider-Man movie to nab more Oscar nods, including Best Picture, which it was snubbed for, by the measure of some cinephiles. Ahead of the nominations being released, Tom Holland made a valid point that he is satisfied with the incredible reception the movie has received from the general public, Oscar or not. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the most well-loved movies of 2021 across the board, including a $1.7 billion box office haul, making many believe it deserved a shot at Best Picture. The only time Marvel has been recognized in its highest category of the night was for Black Panther back in 2019. 

Although Spider-Man: No Way Home is not among the ten Best Picture nominees, it’s great to see Andrew Garfield nominated for his incredible performance in Tick, Tick… Boom!. The actor learned how to sing for the role and copy the mannerisms of Jonathan Larson. We’ll be rooting for him and his Spider-Man co-stars for their projects outside Marvel on Hollywood’s biggest night, with the 94th Academy Awards airing Sunday, March 27 on ABC. 

With Oscar nominations right around the corner, CinemaBlend is taking a look at which films and performances are likely to be in contention for nominations. Let’s break down the state of the Supporting Actress race.

Locked In

Fresh off of a Golden Globe win, Ariana DeBose is easily out front in her category. Her performance as Anita in West Side Story, a role that won Rita Moreno an Oscar for the 1961 adaptation, has no shortage of scene-stealing Oscar moments, many of which show off her incredible talent as a singer and dancer as well. Caitríona Balfe’s role as the protective mother in Belfast looks close to a lock as well. She was the only actor from her film nominated at the SAG awards, making the cut even as Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds were brutally snubbed.

Kirsten Dunst is likely to finally be recognized by the Academy for her role in the Best Picture heavyweight, The Power the Dog. From her breakout role at age 12 in Interview with the Vampire to her Cannes Best Actress winning role in Melancholia, many feel it’s her time. These three are the only actresses with a Critics Choice, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nomination in the category, so it would be a huge shock if any of them didn’t show in the Oscar lineup. 

Likely Bets

It wasn’t before her SAG snub that I even considered the possibility of Aunjanue Ellis missing a nomination for King Richard. What may hurt her chances is that so much of her performance hinges on one scene, but in that one scene she steals the whole show. I expect she’ll overcome this snub, and being part of a likely Best Picture nominees film will help secure her the nomination. Also likely to be recognized is Ruth Negga for her brilliant performance in Passing. Though she would likely be only nomination for the film, she’s in good hands with Netflix campaigning, and that SAG nomination really sealed the deal for placing her in my predictions.

Dark Horses

The aforementioned five are the safest picks in the category, and it would be a hell of a lineup. But should someone miss the nomination, who is on the outskirts vying for a slot? 

Ann Dowd should be in the winning conversation for her role as a grieving mother looking for catharsis in Mass. Unfortunately, the film failed to gain any traction at the box office and is suffering from being underseen, though a Critics Choice nomination offers some hope. Rita Moreno offers a compelling narrative for voters for a side-by-side nomination with Ariana DeBose, considering she played that role in 1961. Though her role is a bit light on screen time, she has an emotional musical number and a legacy that can’t be underestimated.

Cate Blanchett surprised at SAG with a nomination for her role as a cunning psychiatrist in Nightmare Alley. This will be her only major nomination however, as she missed the BAFTA longlist. Judi Dench seemed like a possible candidate for her role in Belfast, but has been ignored by awards voters so far in favor of the her three co-stars who have more to work with in the film. Meryl Streep’s role in Don’t Look Up seems compelling on paper, but she has also failed to gain any traction. Surprisingly, Marlee Matlin’s performance in CODA has also been ignored by awards voters, despite the film’s rise as a Best Picture contender.

If anyone can surprise without a major precursor nomination, maybe it’s Jessie Buckley for The Lost Daughter. Her performance has been singled out and awarded by critics, and if The Lost Daughter has a strong showing, she could go along for the ride. It’s also not impossible that BAFTA could show her some love, given her Lead Actress nomination for Wild Rose two years ago. 

Check back here at CinemaBlend for more category breakdowns. You can check out Lead Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay.

Kirsten Dunst is an accomplished actress, but that doesn’t mean she was always confident on set. She may have locked lips with Tobey MacGuire in Spider-Man, but the Emmy-nominated performer recently revealed that some of the romantic scenes with co-star Jamie Dornan in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette actually made her ‘nervous’ to film. 

In a new episode of Actors on Actors for Variety, Kirsten Dunst and Jamie Dornan reflected on their experience filming the 2006 historical drama Marie Antoinette. The film contained a fair amount of steamy scenes that actually made Kirsten Dunst anxious to film. Why? She explained: 

Jamie Dornan was nervous to film Marie Antoinette because it was one of his very first acting gigs. But for Kirsten Dunst, she was rather hesitant to bare it all on camera, even though she had already worked with director Sofia Coppola on The Virgin Suicides. She had also already starred in multiple high-profile movies, including Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, but a superhero adventure is quite different from a sensual period piece. 

It probably didn’t help that Kirsten Dunst didn’t know Jamie Dornan very well before the film went into production. The actors revealed that they hadn’t actually met before appearing in their scenes together. To make matters worse, Sofia Coppola had asked them to try improvising during their acting moments - a request that is sure to strike fear into the hearts of even the most experienced actors. 

Fortunately for Kirsten Dunst, viewers would never know that she was anxious during filming. Jamie Dornan even expressed his surprise at her revelation, since she had “handled it very well” and, in his mind, seemed “in total control of everything.” It just goes to show: no matter how nervous you may be, just make like Kirsten Dunst in Marie Antoinette, fake it ‘til you make it, and you won't lose your head. 

You can catch Kirsten Dunst in Jane Campion’s Western The Power of the Dog, which is now streaming on Netflix. She’s also set to team up with Ex Machina’s Alex Garland for an upcoming project. Jamie Dornan will next star in Kenneth Branagh’s black and white drama Belfast, which is now playing in theaters everywhere. Already caught up? Check out more upcoming movie releases set to make waves in 2022. 

After becoming a huge name for playing Mary Jane Watson in the Spider-Man trilogy, Kirsten Dunst has primarily gravitated toward offbeat, independent films and that trend will continue with her next project. The actress has signed on to be in Alex Garland’s next film, the writer/director behind one of the best science fiction movies in recent memory, Ex Machina. 

Kirsten Dunst will be the lead in an upcoming movie called Civil War. No, it’s not a period piece, it’s reportedly an “action epic” set in near future America, per a press release. Along with Dunst’s casting, we know A24 is the studio behind the production. Alex Garland previously worked with A24 on Ex Machina and it became one of the early movies to not only put the studio on the map, but distinguish its particular flavor it now has a reputation for. 

As we’d expect from Alex Garland, further plot details are being hidden about Civil War, but also among the cast is Narcos’ Pablo Escobar actor Wagner Moura, Fences’ Stephen McKinley Henderson and Mare of Easttown’s Cailee Spaeny. Garland was nominated for Best Original Screenplay for Ex Machina at the Oscars and the film won for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. 

After Garland awed audiences with Ex Machina, which CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg gave five out of five stars in our review, he made his second feature in 2018 with Annihilation (Eisenberg was equally a big fan). Garland has since worked on the series Devs and his upcoming film is Men, another science fiction film from A24. 

Men stars I’m Thinking Of Ending Things’ Jessie Buckley, Penny Dreadful’s Rory Kinnear and I May Destroy You’s Paapa Essiedu. The movie will be about a young woman who goes on a solo vacation to the English countryside after the death of her ex-husband. Garland consistently brings audiences thought-provoking and compelling films, so between Men and Civil War, it’ll be exciting to see how the filmmaker forwards his cinematography. 

Kirsten Dunst recently starred in The Power of the Dog, which was among the best Netflix movies of 2021. The 39-year-old actress has been showered with acclaim for her role of Rose Gordon alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee and her actual husband Jesse Plemons. She’s currently high in the running for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars. Other notable names in the category are Ariana DeBose for West Side Story, Aunjanue Ellis for King Richard, Caitriona Balfe for Belfast and Ruth Negga for Passing. 

Even with an Academy Award nomination under her belt (which is quite likely), it could add more eyes to a project like Civil War. And we’re generally intrigued by the actress’ career moves after pulling off some incredible performances as of late. While we wait for Civil War, check out what 2022 movies are coming next.