“The Pay Disparity Between Me And Spider-Man Was Very Extreme”: Kirsten Dunst Weighs In On Hollywood’s Gender Pay Gap

Being a woman in Hollywood is difficult. In addition to being expected to constantly improve, lose weight, and look perfect all the time, you are not treated equally as the opposite gender. The OG Mary Jane, Kirsten Dunst shared her experience of being paid less than Tobey Maguire for ‘Spider-Man 2‘.

People couldn’t get enough of the action and Tobey and Kirsten’s chemistry in the movie was a huge hit, but the actress doesn’t remember it that way. In an interview with Variety, Dunst pondered upon the fact that Maguire received $17 million which was way higher than her compensation. She added that the salaries differed significantly.

She said, “The pay disparity between me and Spider-Man was very extreme. I didn’t even think about it. But you know who was on the cover of the second Spider-Man poster? Spider-Man and ME.” She is nevertheless, somewhat correct in this instance. She is the primary lead actress in the movie and should have received pay on par with Tobey.

Kristen also suggested that she would’ve joined the cast of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home‘ if she had been asked. That’s because she has a great deal of affection and no negative emotions for the films. Dunst also mentioned that during the screen test, she and Tobey clicked right away.

Kristen Dunst’s Gender Pay Gap Statement Receives Flak

People had a whole different take on the situation. Fans took to X and agreed that the real star in the movie was Spider-Man, not her. Some even said that Kirsten Dunst barely had any screen time.

Dunst still wanted to be a part of the film series again, but the hopes of fans weren’t fulfilled. Sam Raimi, the film director, declared he won’t be approaching anyone as of now for the new Spider-Man movie.