10 Comic Book Castings That Were Perfect (But In A Different Role)
6. Kirsten Dunst As Gwen Stacy Instead Of Mary Jane Watson
Kirsten Dunst is one of those rare child actors who matured into a respectable award-winning actress but it was her role as Spidey's love interest Mary Jane Watson that catapulted her into the big leagues. Guaranteed, a montage of Kirsten's greatest cinematic moments will include the now iconic upside down kiss from the first Spider-Man film.
However, as respectable as Dunst is, Mary Jane Watson needs to be played by someone with a lot more sass. In the comics, Watson is a fiery, independent woman who gets along just fine with or without Peter Parker. Watson lost some of her spark in the Raimi trilogy along with her party girl edge. It's hard to imagine Dunst saying the classic Watson line "Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot," with enough conviction. So why not cast Dunst as Spider-Man's other key love interest, Gwen Stacy? Bryce Dallas Howard did an adequate job of portraying Gwen Stacey in Spider-Man 3, but Dunst would have nailed the part by bringing a more nuanced take on the character. She's already proved she can play the sweet girl next door in numerous teen comedies,. This would have been a perfect fit.