Kirsten Dunst insists Brad Pitt “was like a brother” while filming Interview with the Vampire, despite her previous criticism of a controversial scene in which the significantly older star kisses her.
The actress was 10 when she landed a breakout role in the 1994 gothic horror film alongside Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Christian Bale and Pitt, a 30-year-old star when she accepted the lead role as the enigmatic vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac. .
Dunst, one of the few women on a predominantly male set, had celebrated her eleventh birthday when she filmed her first scene as Claudia, a young vampire who is forced to grow up in the body of a child.
And the American star, now 41, says she was treated kindly by the film’s main cast, particularly Pitt, with whom she was asked to film a scene she has since described as “disgusting”.
speaking to The TelegraphDunst insists she was treated like a princess. Yes, it was a pretty much all-male group, but everyone was very gracious and kind, and nothing felt strange. “Brad was like a big brother to me.”
Kirsten Dunst insists Brad Pitt “treated her like a princess” while filming Interview with the Vampire, despite her criticism of a controversial scene in which the older actor kisses her.
Dunst promoting Civil War in 2024. The actress was 10 years old when she got her big break in the film, an adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1976 novel.
The actress also revealed how Cruise, Lioncourt’s immortal vampire Lestat de Lioncourt in the film, surprised her with a thoughtful gift while filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire over the festive period.
“And then Tom… well, one morning around Christmas, I remember going to my dressing room at Pinewood and he had put up a beautiful tree there for me, covered in ornaments,” she recalled.
However, the good memories of her time on set have been tarnished by a controversial scene in which du Lac kisses the then 11-year-old actress on the lips.
speaking to Entertainment tonight Shortly after its release in 1994, she admitted: “I hated (the kiss) so much because Brad was like my big brother on set and it’s like kissing your brother.
“It’s weird because he’s an older guy and I had to kiss him on the lips, so it was gross.”
That same year he came onto the scene while promoting Little Women with co-star Samantha Mathis, telling interviewers, “I love Brad, he’s so nice… it was like he was uncomfortable.”
‘I mean, I’m 12 years old. And he’s like 31, and it’s like he’s a man. So why would she enjoy kissing him?
Mathis, who was 24 at the time, chimed in to admit that he wouldn’t turn down a kiss with the heartthrob, adding, “Maybe you don’t like kissing guys yet, so I can relate.”
LR: Kirsten Dunst, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas in Interview with the Vampire. Pitt was 30 years old when he accepted the lead role of the enigmatic Louis de Pointe du Lac.
Dunst, one of the few women on a predominantly male set, was 11 when she filmed her first scene as Claudia, a vampire who is forced to grow up in the body of a boy.
The actress also revealed how Tom Cruise surprised her with a thoughtful gift while filming at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire over the festive period.
LR: Kirsten Dunst, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in the film. Dunst described her on-screen kiss with Pitt as “disgusting.”
In response to the joke, an unimpressed Dunst replied: “Well, especially since Brad is 31. I mean, he’s not exactly a kid.”
During a later appearance on Conan in 2014, he added, “I thought it was gross.” He was 11, it would have been strange if he had said ‘this is amazing’.’
In 2021 she said vanity fair that kissing Pitt and biting the neck of a co-star who was apparently sweating profusely at the time were her least favorite memories from filming.
“That was the worst thing I ever did and obviously having to kiss Brad Pitt at that moment,” she said.
“I was a little girl and he was like a brother to me and it was very strange even though it was a kiss. I didn’t like him very much.
In 2021, he told Vanity Fair that it was “the worst thing” about filming the movie, besides biting the neck of an actor who was apparently sweating profusely at the time.
Dunst with her mother Inez at the premiere of Interview with the Vampire in Los Angeles in 1994
Adapted from author Anne Rice’s 1976 novel, Interview with the Vampire was a box office hit upon its release on Veterans Day in November 1994.
The film, directed by Neil Jordan, earned a worldwide gross of $224 million, on an estimated budget of $60 million.
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey walked out of a screening after becoming disturbed by its gory content and even considered canceling a planned interview with Cruise in protest.
“I believe there are forces of light and darkness in the world,” he said at the time. “And I don’t want to contribute to the force of darkness.”
Dunst rose to fame after landing a role in the film alongside Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas and Christian Bale.
Co-stars Indra Ove and Tom Cruise in another gripping scene from the legendary gothic horror