Kirsten Dunst Talks Pay Disparity Between Her and Tobey Maguire in 'Spider-Man'

From action films to comedy, and practically everything in between, Kirsten Dunst has been a force in Hollywood since she broke onto the scene back in the 1990s. But her rise in the industry hasn't always felt equal to her fellow male actors, and now, she's ready to talk about the injustice she's experienced.

Despite her huge array of roles, Kirsten Dunst, at least in the early 2000s, was widely known for her role in the Spider-Man films. She played Peter Parker's love interest, M.J., in not one, but all three of the films directed by Sam Raimi. From the advanced CGI to the iconic Nickleback song, the 2002 release of Spider-Man dominated Hollywood for months and ultimately sparked the revival of comic book movies. And while Kirsten and her co-star Tobey Maguire catapulted to new levels of fame, something was obviously different and couldn't be ignored: their pay.

A new interview published by The Independent brought it all to light, as people are more and more interested in looking back at the past wrongs of the industry. And according to Dunst, something was very wrong with the paychecks from the first Spider-Man film. "The pay disparity between me and Spider-Man was very extreme," the 39-year-old actress reflected. But as a young and eager actress in Hollywood, Kirsten didn't even notice the injustice as it was taking place - she was just grateful for the opportunity to be in the film at all.

"I didn't even think about it," she continued in the interview. "It 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?" she asked her interviewer. "Spider-Man and ME!" Luckily, Kirsten's pay continued to rise as the trilogy carried along, however, the initial pay difference stayed in her memory. And thankfully, by sharing her story, she can inspire other young actresses to speak up and fight for fair pay.

Talk about an inspiring figure in Hollywood! Be sure to check back soon for more stories of celebrities speaking up and changing the narrative...