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Let’s face it—most of us had that one flick that freaked us out as kids, yet somehow, we couldn’t look away.Interview with the Vampire(1994) was that film for many. It was one of those rare cases where the blood-curdling gothic drama wasn’t just a vampire flick, but a full-on immersion into dark, eternal immortality. With a cast led by two of Hollywood’s finest—Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt—it should have been no surprise that the film would charm, frighten, and maybe even haunt us a little.
And let’s get one thing straight: no one, and we mean NO ONE, expected 12-year-old Kirsten Dunst to steal the show. But it’s not all roses and fairy tales inInterview with the Vampire. Dunst once shared that her casting story wasn’t exactly a fairy tale. She credited none other than Cruise himself with getting her into the film.
Kirsten Dunst’s Kiss with Brad Pitt: A Teenager’s Unforgettable Hollywood Moment
Have you ever had one of those moments where you’re so deep in a situation that you don’t quite realize just how strange it really is until you’re out of it? Well, for Kirsten Dunst, starring inInterview with the Vampireat just 11 or 12 years old, that moment of clarity came after she had to kiss Brad Pitt—not exactly something most preteens expect to do on a movie set! But when you throwTom Cruiseinto the mix, things are bound to get… interesting.
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For Dunst, this was her big break. Having already dipped her toes into Hollywood with small roles in films likeNew York StoriesandThe Bonfire of the Vanities, she was now stepping into a career-defining role. And the auditions? Well, let’s just say it wasn’t your typical casting call.
Dunst recalled the audition process in a way that shows just how hands-on Cruise was in making sure the casting was perfect (viaNetflix):
I remember Tom whispering to me, like, ‘Tuck your legs under’ so I’d look as tiny as possible ’cause I was the tallest girl’.
It’s a classic case of theMission: Impossiblestar pulling strings behind the scenes—literally. But Cruise didn’t stop there. The whole audition process involved him physically lifting the young girls to see how they’d look against him. According to Dunst, Cruise was“rooting for me”, and, of course, being fellow New Jersey natives, he had her back. To quote her:
So I knew he was kind of, like, rooting for me. We were both from New Jersey, and I think, you know, he was like, ‘Let this Jersey girl have it.
Ergo, it wasn’t just about landing the role; it was about making sure the right person got it.
Kristen Dunst Reflected on That Awkward Brad Pitt Kiss: ‘It Was Gross’
And then there’s the moment that, well, made Kristen Dunst feel like she was in aTwilightfanfic nightmare: the kiss with Brad Pitt. Keep in mind, that she was just a teen at the time, and Pitt, a 31-year-old, was playing her romantic counterpart. “Yeah, it was gross! I stand by that”, Dunst said (viaET). She elaborated further,
It would have been so much creepier if an 11-year-old was like, ‘It was great.’ You’d be like, ‘There’s something wrong with this child.’
Looking back, she described the moment as one of the more awkward experiences on set.“At that point, I was a little girl, and he was like a brother to me, and it was very weird”, she said (viaVanity Fair). Sure, the kiss was brief—a peck—but as Dunst put it:
I just was very not into it.
Despite being surrounded by Hollywood royalty like Cruise and Pitt, Kirsten Dunst was remarkably innocent.“I feel like I watched Brad in A River Runs Through and Tom was in Far and Away, which I loved”, she confessed during her interview onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Imagine being a 12-year-old with that much stardom around you—but to Dunst, they were just two older brothers on set, guiding her through the madness.
They treated me like a little sister. It was very sweet, I was a very innocent 12-year-old. I was just doing my job and they were very sweet to me.
Of course, it wasn’t all about brotherly love. Dunst remembered Cruise going the extra mile to make her feel comfortable on set. She shared (viaTelegraph):
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.
How’s that for holiday cheer?
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Adapted from Anne Rice’s best-selling novel,Interview with the Vampirethrew together a chilling tale of centuries-old bloodsuckers who find themselves sitting down for a chat with a reporter to tell their story. Louis (Brad Pitt) and Lestat (Tom Cruise) lead this immortal journey, navigating centuries of moral dilemmas, emotional turmoil, and… well, lots of vampiric angst.
Interview with the Vampirecan be rented on Apple TV.
Siddhika Prajapati
Senior Journalist & Content Head
Articles Published :3309
With over 3,300 articles carved into the digital walls of FandomWire, Siddhika Prajapati excels at creating, curating, and elevating engaging stories. She takes pride in giving these stories a home and, of course, she’s got a Google Knowledge Panel to prove it!Whether it’s reviewing the latest drop on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+, or analyzing the cultural echoes of a streaming hit on Paramount+ or Max, Siddhika is always writing three steps ahead of the discourse.
