Kirsten Dunst was just 11 years old when she had to kiss Brad Pitt in a movie – and she has always seen the scene as problematic. Photos / Getty Images
Kirsten Dunst has been applauded for slamming her “gross” kiss with fellow actor Brad Pitt while filmingInterview with the Vampire when she was only 11 years old.
In a resurfaced clip from a 1994 interview, a much younger Dunst was asked why she criticised the kiss, considering Pitt was a Hollywood heart-throb, reports news.com.au.
However, Dunst stood her ground, going on to say that the kiss was awkward seeing as she was only a pre-teen during the film and Pitt was a fully grown man. It also just so happened to be the actress’s first kiss.
“I love Brad, he’s so nice … it was just, like, it feels awkward,” she shared with the reporter while promoting her film Little Women with co-star Samantha Mathis.
“I mean, I’m 12. And he’s, like, 31, and it’s like, he’s a man. So why would I enjoy kissing him?” Dunst laughed uncomfortably.
The interviewer then asked Mathis, who was 24 at the time, what she would do if given the opportunity to kiss the Babylon actor.
“Oh, I don’t think I’d turn it down! I mean, he’s a wonderful actor too though, but I understand,” Mathis said before supporting Dunst’s viewpoint: “Maybe you’re not into kissing boys yet, so I can relate.”
Dunst then quickly replied: “Well, especially because Brad is 31. I mean, he’s not exactly a boy.”
The clip, which has now gone viral on TikTok, saw users flood the comments with praise for the actress, commending her for the way she handled the awkward interview.
“They expected her to have a different answer???” one person questioned, while another said: “She was 12. He was a grown ass man. Leave her alone. She shouldn’t have to defend it being awkward.”
Another chimed in: “Dude, her point is totally valid and the chick next to her played it like she’s too young to even know better, WTF?,” while one shared: “The way she stood her ground...”
Dunst has always been candid and open about her discomfort regarding the scene.
After she finished the film, she told Entertainment Tonight: “I hated [the kiss] so much because Brad was like my older brother on set, and it’s kind of like kissing your brother. It’s weird because he’s an older guy and I had to kiss him on the lips, so it was gross.”
In the film, Dunst plays Claudia, a 10-year-old who is turned into a vampire by Pitt’s Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt, played by Tom Cruise.
Recently chatting to Vanity Fair, Dunst defended her stance on the kiss, maintaining it was one of the worst parts of making the film.
And although she was “treated like a total princess on set”, she said she battled with the kiss, as well as another scene where she had to bite the neck of an actor who was sweating profusely on set.
“That was the worst thing I did, and also having obviously to kiss Brad Pitt at that point,” she shared with the magazine.
“I was a little girl and he was like a brother to me, and it was very weird even though it was a peck. I was very not into it.”