Kirsten Dunst Reveals Why Her 'Spider-Man' Paycheck Was Dramatically Different From Tobey Maguire's

Kirsten Dunst is getting real about pay equity in Hollywood — and while it is getting better — it still has a long way to go. Not only do actresses have to fight for themselves, but they must have a team of agents, lawyers, managers, and studio executives who also fight for their right to earn the same amount as their male co-stars.

The 41-year-old actress shared that her younger years in Hollywood were in a time of “major pay disparity” and that’s why she’s open to having the discussion now in a public forum. “I was very young, and it just felt like at the time, what do you do?” she explained to the BBC. “I was 17, I was still learning my taste in film. I didn’t even think to ask.” Dunst is specifically referencing her 2002 paycheck for Spider-Man which also starred Tobey Maguire. 

In 2021, Dunst rocked the headlines for revealing to the Independent that “the pay disparity between me and Spider-Man was very extreme.” In the early aughts, she framed the conversation about fair pay very differently in her mind. “I didn’t even think about it. I 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 said with a smile to the outlet. “Spider-Man and ME.” Spider-Man and Mary Jane are like peanut butter and jelly; they just go together. 

Dunst’s observations also reflect the wages in the entertainment industry, collected by NarrowTheGap.com. The statistics are rather astounding. “Women in arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations who worked full-time made 92 cents to the dollar men earned in 2023,” their website stated. “That’s $110 out of a weekly paycheck, which means she got paid $5,720 less doing the same job in 2023. This wage gap has narrowed 6 cents from 2011.” And let’s not forget that women of color earn even less than these statistics are showing. 

The more Hollywood women speak up about the hot topic, the greater transparency in pay there will be. It also helps when male co-stars step up to the plate and go to bat for their female counterparts because without their support — there will be no pay parity.

Before you go, click here to see all of the highest paid women in Hollywood!