Kirsten Dunst says she stopped acting for 2 years because she was offered only 'sad mom' roles

• Kirsten Dunst says she took a break from acting after receiving only "sad mom" roles.
• The actor spoke to Marie Claire about being typecasted and dealing with ageism in Hollywood.

Kirsten Dunst said she took a step back from acting after starring in the 2021 film "The Power of the Dog" because the only offers she received were "sad mom" roles.

In Marie Claire's latest cover story, the actor opened up about being typecasted and dealing with ageism in Hollywood.

"I haven't worked in two years," Dunst told Marie Claire, adding, "Every role I was being offered was the sad mom."

Dunst was nominated for best performance by an actress in a supporting role at the 2022 Academy Awards for playing the wife of a ranch owner in "The Power of the Dog."

Although she kept busy by spending time off with her two sons — whom she shares with her husband Jesse Plemons — Dunst says she missed working.

"To be honest, that's been hard for me...because I need to feed myself. The hardest thing is being a mom and...not feeling like, I have nothing for myself. That's every mother — not just me," she said.

During the interview, Dunst also spoke about ageism in Hollywood and navigating the industry as a woman, recounting how she was belittled on the "Spider-Man" set.

While Dunst says she feels "insecure like a normal woman," she trusts that she'll be able to age gracefully in the industry because she has "a good head on my shoulders."

"There's definitely less good roles for women my age," the 41-year-old said, adding, "That's why I did 'Civil War.'"

Dunst is set to return to the screen in the upcoming dystopian action film "Civil War," directed by Alex Garland. In the movie, set to be released on April 12, she plays a photojournalist covering the war zone.

"When I read the script, I thought, 'I've never done anything like this,'" Dunst said.

Dunst is not the only actor who has spoken up about dealing with ageism and sexism in Hollywood.

In 2015, Maggie Gyllenhaal — then 37 years old — told The Wrap that she was turned down for a role because she was "too old to play the lover of a man who was 55."

"It was astonishing to me. It made me feel bad, and then it made me feel angry, and then it made me laugh," Gyllenhaal said.

In 2016, Cameron Diaz told The Mirror she was excited to turn 40, but knew what that meant for her career.

"I was not 25 anymore, and everybody knew that. So I was no longer valuable," she said.

More recently, French actor Léa Seydoux told Harper's Bazaar UK that Hollywood is "harsh on women."

"It's hard for women to age. I don't want to be afraid not to be desirable or to lose my contract. In America it's economic, and when it becomes a matter of making money, you lose your freedom. I don't feel comfortable with the fact that you have to tick all the boxes. Being a woman on screen is easier in Europe," Seydoux said.