Kirsten Dunst credits her mom for shielding her from Hollywood’s dark side during her early years as a young star

Kirsten Dunst said her mom protected her from the “predatory side” of Hollywood as a young star in light of the new docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which alleges abuse and a toxic work environment at Nickelodeon in the 1990s and 2000s from former child stars.

The 41-year-old actress — who has been working in the entertainment industry since she was 3-years-old — told the Telegraph that her protective mother, Inez, never let her out of her sight.

“I was only able to avoid that predatory side of the business because wherever I went, my mother was literally always right there,” Dunst said.

However, the “Spider-Man 2” star said she wasn’t able to completely avoid the dark side of Hollywood before she became an adult and recalled a director asking her when she was 16 an “inappropriate” question during auditions.

“A male director had me in his office, by myself, and was asking me about this movie he wanted me for, and then, completely out of the blue, asked me this inappropriate question,” Dunst told the outlet, without describing what happened further.

This week’s Variety cover story:

Kirsten Dunst Confronts ‘Civil War’ Hysteria, Hollywood Pay Gaps and the Media Dividing America: ‘Everything Is Broken’
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— Variety (@Variety) April 3, 2024

“Honestly, I’m not even sure he’s still working any more,” she added. “It’s not something I like to reflect on. But I will say what he said was nothing to do with acting. And it wasn’t that what he said was just ‘a bit off.’ It was totally improper. And I remember sitting there and knowing that something was wrong, but with no idea what I should do.”

The then-young star said she informed her mom about their conversation “and that was the end of it. She withdrew me from the process and told them I wouldn’t be making the film.”

The “Bonfire of the Vanities” star landed her breakout role across from Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the 1994 vampire drama, “Interview with a Vampire” at just 11-years-old. In the film, the young star had to kiss Pitt’s character. The actor was 30-years-old at the time.

“Yes, it was a virtually all-male set, but everyone was very gentle and kind, and nothing ever felt weird. Brad was like an older brother to me,”  the actress said, recalling being “treated like a princess.”

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“And then Tom— well, one morning around Christmas, I remember going into my dressing room at Pinewood, and he’d set up a beautiful tree in there for me, covered in ornaments.”

Dunst said as she grew up in the entertainment industry, she made sure to make it clear that she was all about business and not interested in unwanted advances, the outlet noted.

“I don’t give off that vibe,” Dunst once told director Sofia Coppola when asked if one of her male counterparts had ever “pounced on” her on set.

Related: Former Nickelodeon Star Says She Was Forced To Kiss 30-Year-Old Man As A Teen On Show

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