A biography for Kirsten Dunsthasn’t been written yet.
“I don't really relate to myself as The Girl in the Magazine. Which is dangerous for me, too, sometimes, because I don't think all the time, 'Well, look to see if people are following me home.' Sometimes I'm a little bit more free than maybe I should be.”
“I don't find I'm manic at all. I'm very chill.”
“I think for everyone it's good to have your own personal work on a character and a film before you even start rehearsing, to have an inner life.”
“A lot of people my age, they grew up with me onscreen. I think that's helped keep a certain amount of longevity. When you grow up with a person, you feel like you know them.”
“I don't think roles help you resolve your issues. I just think they're good markers.”
“When I go away to do a movie, I bring the blanket I've had since I was a little girl. It helps me sleep. I also always bring my laptop so I can E-mail friends. And I bring my dog, Beauty, wherever I can.”
“When I was little, I put on plays for my family at Sunday dinner, and I would direct them and have all my cousins, my brother, and my best friends in it. I was a very imaginative and theatrical child and wasn't afraid of being in front of a camera. It was like make-believe to me.”
“I feel like everyone directs their own career according to their taste, what they migrate to emotionally and what kind of artists they want to work with. And I'm lucky enough to be in a position where I can wait six months for a project that really interests me.”
“It's weird doing red carpets; it's uncomfortable. But you can have a sense of humor about it.”
“I'm a good assistant. That's why I don't have an assistant, because I'm so on it that no one can be as on it as me. I know that.”
“The performances that I love are ones like Gena Rowlands in 'A Woman Under the Influence,' where women are allowed to be messy and imperfect. It's that kind of woman that has always inspired me to seek roles that are a little out of the box. I just haven't always had the opportunity to do them.”
“When I'm working, I always listen to music to zone everyone else out.”
“It's such a private thing - 'my process' - I can just say that the work that I do is like therapy between me and the character.”
“In high school I had a boyfriend who was super into rap, so I was into Too $hort and Wu-Tang for a little while. And my best friend's older brother would sometimes drive us home in this pimped-out truck, and he'd play all his dirty rap music. We thought we were really cool.”
“I'd like to grow up and be beautiful. I know it doesn't matter, but it doesn't hurt.”
“A lot of people my age who are working right now have never acted; they get a show and suddenly they're making millions. It's always those people who get it fast who have the most trouble staying grounded and being themselves.”
“I can't imagine having a real personal thing, like divorce and marriage, all those things, being in the public eye. I try to not talk about anything personal, and then nobody has the fire to throw back at you, like 'You said this back then!'”
“Doing 'All Good Things' really felt like I was acting for myself rather than anyone else. It gave me a freedom I'd never had before, or knew I had, to do whatever I want to, and to argue my opinions and not just feel like the cute girl on set or the girl in a boy's club. I figured out how I could be both. And it's been different ever since.”
“I know kids are supposed to go through these awkward stages, but I just never even thought about that. I was too busy worrying about getting my education while I was working.”
“You really can't explain how you do the things you do. I can't, anyway. I love certain actors, but sometimes they say the stupidest things about technique. I don't want to say something stupid.”