Kirsten Dunst had no idea ‘Bring it in’ would be a runaway success

Pictures via Universal Pictures

Since she was a child, Kirsten Dunst held his own against Hollywood’s biggest star with roles in ’90s movies like Jumanji and Vampire Interview. With all that experience, you’d think she would have a sixth sense (perhaps a mischievous one?) when it comes to the box office.

It turns out that even seasoned Hollywood vets like Dunst are blind to knowing if they won or not.

Dunst was 18 when she did Bring it in, a movie about a rival cheerleader, in 2000. Two years later, she will play Mary Jane at Sam Raimi’s Spiderman.

Dunst said EW the movie was a low-budget movie that didn’t have a lot of cheerleaders at Universal, that’s until those box office hits started coming in.

Dunst stars as high school cheerleader Torrance Shipman, who must compete with inheriting a team whose habits were stolen from a rival cheerleader group, setting up a showdown between her team and Isis, led by Gabrielle Union. The movie isn’t just about bubbly teenagers jumping around; it addresses some of the serious issues of race, white privilege, and cultural appropriation.

The film was a surprise hit and helped define the teen comedy genre of the early 2000s. It still has a lasting pop-culture mark and spawned a number of less iconic sequels. and a Broadway musical with Lin-Manuel Miranda on the writing team.

“Even my friends – the ones who tell me what it’s like – will be like, ‘I’m going out the door, Tor,’ ‘ the actress said. “I never thought the movie would be as big as it was. ”

Oddly, even though it was a break, Dunst still worried that the film would potentially leave her dove and diminish her abilities as a serious actress.

“It’s great to enjoy these things, but your young self is always judging you too harshly,” she says.

There is no guarantee that the movie will even be made. Script writer Jessica Bendinger says that trying to sell the script is a pretty uphill battle.

It’s one of Hollywood’s crazy stories. Universal pass in the room. It was a male studio executive who, I remember, threw a basketball into the air while he was talking to us. He was like, “Let me stop you. It’s going to be a pass.” He’s trying to be a nice guy and not letting us waste our time and energy. Then I went to Beacon [Pictures] and I said, “You’re not going to want this. Nobody wants this, so I’ll tell it to you.” I’m really at the end of my rope, and sure enough. [executives] John Ketcham, Caitlin Scanlon and Max Wong actually gathered to buy it. Miracles happen.

Bring it in grossed $90 million in theaters on a budget of $11 million. Dunst is currently getting a lot of Oscar buzz for her role in Jane Campion’s Netflix series The power of the dog, a Westerner also starring Benedict Cumberbatch.