Kirsten Dunst insists Brad Pitt ‘was like a brother’ and Tom Cruise ‘treated her like a princess’; during the filming of Interview With The Vampire – despite her previous criticism of a controversial scene in which the significantly older Pitt kisses her.
The actress was 10 years old when she landed a leading role in the 1994 gothic horror alongside Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Christian Bale and Pitt – a 30-year-old star when he accepted the lead role as enigmatic vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac.
Dunst, one of the few women on a predominantly male set, had celebrated her eleventh birthday by the time she filmed her first scene as Claudia, a young vampire forced to grow in a child’s body.
And the American star, now 41, says she was treated with kindness by the film’s leads, particularly Pitt, with whom she had to film a scene she has since described as “gross”.
Speak with The TelegraphDunst insists she was “treated like a princess.” Yes, it was an almost all-male group, but everyone was very gentle and kind, and nothing ever felt weird. Brad was like an older brother to me.”
Kirsten Dunst insists Brad Pitt ‘treated her like a princess’ while filming Interview With The Vampire – despite her criticism of a controversial scene in which the older actor kisses her
Dunst promoted Civil War in 2024. The actress was 10 years old when she got her big break in the film, an adaptation of Anne Rice’s 1976 novel
The actress also revealed how Cruise, who plays immortal vampire Lestat de Lioncourt in the film, surprised her with a thoughtful gift while they filmed on location at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire over the festive period.
“And then Tom – well, I remember going into my dressing room at Pinewood one morning around Christmas and having a beautiful tree set up for me, covered in decorations,” she recalls.
But fond memories of her time on set are sometimes clouded by a controversial scene in which du Lac kisses the then 11-year-old actress on the lips.
Speak with Entertainment tonight While promoting the film, she admitted, “I hated (the kiss) so much because Brad looked 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.”
While hitting the scene with co-star Samantha Mathis in 1994, 12-year-old Dunst told interviewers, “I love Brad, he’s so nice… it just felt awkward.”
“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?’
Mathis, then 24, admitted she wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to kiss the heartthrob, before joking: “Maybe you don’t like kissing boys yet, so I can relate.”
L-R: Kirsten Dunst, Brad Pitt and Antonio Banderas in interview with The Vampire. Pitt was 30 years old when he accepted his leading role as the enigmatic Louis de Pointe du Lac
One of the few women on a predominantly male set, Dunst was eleven when she filmed her first scene as Claudia, a vampire forced to grow up in a child’s body.
The actress also revealed how Tom Cruise surprised her with a thoughtful gift as they filmed on location at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire over the festive period.
L-R: Kirsten Dunst, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in the film. Dunst subsequently described her on-screen kiss with Pitt as ‘brutal’
In response to the joke, Dunst replied, “Well, mostly because Brad is 31. I mean, he’s not exactly a boy.’
During a later appearance on Conan in 2014, she added, “I thought it was disgusting. I was 11, it would have been weird if I thought, ‘This is great.’
In 2021 she told me Vanity fair it was “the worst thing” about shooting the movie, besides biting the neck of an actor who was apparently sweating profusely at the time.
“That was the worst thing I did and of course I had to kiss Brad Pitt at that moment,” she said.
‘I was a little girl and he was like a brother to me and it was very strange, even though it was a kiss. I didn’t feel like it at all.’
In 2021, she told Vanity Fair that it was “the worst thing” about shooting the film, besides biting the neck of an actor who was apparently sweating profusely at the time.
Dunst with her mother Inez at the Los Angeles premiere of Interview With The Vampire in 1994
Based on the 1976 novel by author Anne Rice, Interview With The Vampire was a box office hit after its release on Veterans Day in November 1994.
Directed by Neil Jordan, the film grossed $224 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $60 million.
Talk show host Oprah Winfrey left a screening after being disturbed by the gory content and even considered canceling a planned interview with Cruise in protest.
“I believe there are forces of light and darkness in the world,” she said at the time. “And I don’t want to contribute to the power of darkness.”
Dunst rose to fame after winning a role in the film alongside Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas and Christian Bale
Indra Ove and Tom Cruise star together in another steamy scene from the legendary gothic horror
