‘Spider-Man’ actress Kirsten Dunst addresses ‘extreme’ pay disparity

Fourteen years have passed since Kirsten Dunst last played Mary Jane in the Spider-Man franchise. Since then, two other Spider-Man franchises have popped up, and an upcoming Marvel film will allegedly also bring together all three Spidey actors (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland).

While there’s no talk on whether the leading ladies of these previous films will also join the movie, Dunst recently addressed her time on the trilogy, which kicked off with 2002 with ‘Spider-Man’, saying that the pay disparity between herself and Maguire was “extreme”.

Speaking with The Independent UK, Dunst, 39, said despite the pay disparity, she wasn’t affected by the difference as her 19-year-old self was excited to be on the poster with Spider-Man. “The pay disparity between me and Spider-Man was very extreme. I didn’t even think about it. I was just like, ‘Oh yeah, Tobey [Maguire] is playing Spider-Man.’ But you know who was on the cover of the second Spider-Man poster? Spider-Man and ME,” she said.

In a separate interview with Variety while promoting her new film ‘The Power of the Dog’, Dunst said she’d be open to returning to the franchise. “I would do it. Why not? That would be fun. I would never say no to something like that.”

“I’d be old MJ at this point with little Spidey babies,” she added.

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, coming to theatres worldwide on December 17, stars Holland as the web-slinging hero who must deal with having his identity revealed to the world, putting himself and those he holds dear at risk.