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"You can never control who you fall in love with, even when you're in the most sad, confused time of your life. You don't fall in love with people because they're fun. It just happens." Kirsten Dunst has been a fixture in Hollywood since her film debut in 1989's New York Stories. Since then, Dunst has captivated fans as both a rom-com superstar and a heavy-hitting dramatic actor.

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Now in the full swing of her career, Dunst is taking on increasingly fascinating work. From the heights of blockbuster films like Spider-Man to her award-winning dramatic work in Melancholia, Dunst always seems to have something new up her sleeve. How did Dunst turn into one of the most successful former child-stars of all time? We're glad that you asked!

Raised in New Jersey

Kirsten Dunst was born on April 30, 1982, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Dunst's father was born and raised in Germany before coming to America. He worked for Siemens as a medical executive while Kirsten was growing up. Dunst's mother was an artist and a former art gallery owner. 

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Dunst was raised in Brick Township, New Jersey until she was 11-years-old. During her childhood, Dunst attended classes at Ranney School. In 1993, Dunst's parents would separate, and she would leave with her mother in order to live in Los Angeles, along with her brother. In L.A., Dunst attended the Laurel Hall School located in North Hollywood. Dunst also spent time at Notre Dame High School while in Sherman Oaks. Dunst attended musical theater classes along with Rami Malek.

Dunst would graduate from high school in 2000, and she would continue to focus on her work as an actress. Despite her success as a child star, Dunst struggled, at times, with her career. Dunst has famously defended growing up in Hollywood, even though she admitted that it was not a 'natural way to grow up'.

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Making it in Hollywood

Dunst began working on television commercials at the age of three. Before she could understand what she was even doing, Dunst had signed deals with Ford Models and Elite Model Management. Dunst would make her film debut in Woody Allen's Oedipus Wrecks in 1988.  Dunst would also appear in the anthology project, New York Stories (1989) alongside Tom Hanks.

In 1994, Dunst shocked the world with her portrayal of the child vampire Claudia in Interview with the Vampire. At just 12-years-old, Dunst was starring across from Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in one of the biggest pictures of the year. While the film received mixed reviews, even from the author of the adapted work, Dunst received standout praise from critics across the board. Roger Ebert praised Dunst's work calling her 'creepier' than many other aspects of the film. As a result of her hard work, Dunst would score an MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance as well as a Golden Globe nomination.

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Now a verifiable young star, Dunst would keep up her momentum by appearing in Little Women (1994) and Jumanji (1995). Little Women received positive reviews thanks to powerhouse performances from Dunst as well as Claire Danes and Winona Ryder. Jumanji would end up becoming one of the biggest films of the year and it has already spawned several sequels. 

After finding early success on film, Dunst would land a featured role on the medical drama, ER (1996). From there, Dunst would land a voiceover role in the animated film, Anastasia. Dunst had already earned her stripes as a voiceover artist after landing the role of Kiki in the Studio Ghibli film, Kikis Delivery Service (1989). 

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While she was already an established actress, Dunst was still waiting for her huge mainstream breakthrough. Fortunately, Dunst wouldn't have to wait long. In 2000, Dunst landed the lead role in the film Bring it On as Torrance Shipman, a cheerleading captain. The film was a commercial hit and Dunst was lauded for her comedic work. Dunst would then begin a string of successful mainstream pictures including Get Over It (2001) and Spider-Man (2002).

Her work as Mary Jane in Spider-Man would launch Dunst to new heights as a superstar actress. The film was a blockbuster success and it would go on to earn more than $820 million around the world. The success of the film would lead to Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007). The second installment of the series is often considered to be one of the top comic book adaptations ever made. In total, Dunst's work on the Spider-Man trilogy would aid in the series launching over the $2 billion global box office mark.

While Spider-Man gave Dunst box office clout, her work in films like Wimbledon (2004), Elizabethtown (2005), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), proved that Dunst could be a romantic draw. All three films were reasonably well-received at the time of their release with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind going on to cultivate a post-release following.

After having found substantial success as a mainstream performer, Dunst has most recently been focused on more independent work. She starred in the dark indie film Melancholia in 2011 before landing a starring role in The Two Faces of January (2014) alongside Viggo Mortensen and Oscar Isaac. Dunst would find more mainstream success in the blockbuster Hidden Figures (2016) while also landing a starring role in the hit Netflix series, Fargo (2015).

While Kirsten Dunst is known as an actress, she also has spent a considerable amount of time working with music. Dunst released a pair of songs for the film Get Over It, and she has since recorded tracks for Spider-Man 3 and The Cat's Meow. Dunst has also appeared in music videos by the Beastie Boys, REM, and Savage Garden.

Outside of entertainment, Dunst is politically active as well as focused on charity. She narrated and directed the documentary Why Tuesday which focused on voting rights in America. Dunst also has worked with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation as well as the Stand Up to Cancer telethon in 2008.

Dunst is currently dating her Fargo co-star, Jesse Plemons. The two first got together in 2016 before getting engaged in 2018. Together, Plemons and Dunst have a son, Ennis Howard Plemons.