Kirsten Dunst reveals correct pronunciation of her name after ‘everyone’ gets it wrong

Kirsten Dunst has highlighted the correct pronunciation of her name, which she said “everyone” gets wrong.

The 43-year-old Spider-Man and Melancholia actor’s name has led to confusion among film fans over the years, leading to constant mispronunciations of her name.

Dunst said has incorrectly been called “Criss-ten” and“Ker-stin”, and told Town and Country that the proper way to say her first name is “Keer-sten”.

“I mean, everyone messes up my name, so I give up,” she said.

“I don't care. I don't blame people. Like in England, they don't really say my name right. The last set, everyone was saying my name wrong. There was Swedish people and people from Hungary. You just give up. But again, who cares? It's fine.”

Dunst has starred in films including The Virgin Suicides (2000) and Bring It On (2000), with more recent projects including The Power of the Dog (2021) and Civil War (2024).

The actor announced that she has a few projects underway, including a mermaid fantasy with Anora Oscar winner Mikey Madison and another from director Sofia Coppola, whom she has worked with in films Marie Antoinette (2006) and The Beguiled (2017).

She also said that she wants to “make a movie where I don’t lose money”

Throughout her career, Dunst was told to change her appearance, revealing that a producer on the set of Sam Raimi’s 2002 film Spider-Man took her to a dentist without her permission in a bid to have her teeth straightened.

“I was like, ‘no, I like my teeth,’” she recalled.

After wearing a black Rodarte dress and dark lipstick at the film’s London premiere, the actor was told that Sony – the studio that produced Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy – was unhappy with her rebellious look.

“The studio was like, ‘She looks very goth,’” Dunst said. “And they didn’t like that, probably because they wanted me to look like a sexy young woman who would appeal to a broader range of whoever gets seats in the theatre.”

Dunst will next be seen in the film Roofman, which is to be released in the UK on 3 October.