Kirsten Dunst Finally Reveals The Real Pronunciation Of Her Name, Says ‘Everyone’ Gets It Wrong

Kirsten Dunst said she has “given up” on people pronouncing her name correctly. The Oscar-nominated actress recently told Town & Country, “Everyone messes up my name. I don’t care.”

The Fargo star shared that she’ll “answer to Kristen [or] Kirsten, which is how you say my name.”

Since she knows her name isn’t all that common, the 43-year-old clarified that she doesn’t “blame people” for the mistake.

Kirsten Dunst admitted she has given up on correcting people who mispronounce her name

Kirsten Dunst speaking in an indoor setting, sharing the correct pronunciation of her name with a calm expression.

Image credits: TikTok / townandcountrymagazine

“In England, they don’t really say my name right,” she noted, revealing that even her co-workers didn’t know how to pronounce it. 

“On the last set, everyone was saying my name wrong, but there were Swedish people, people from Hungary. You just give up.”

Kirsten Dunst kneeling beside her Hollywood Walk of Fame star during the unveiling ceremony on a sunny day.

Image credits: Instagram / kirstendunst

When asked to share the correct pronunciation, she said. “Keer-sten…But who cares?”

Other commonly mispronounced celebrity names include Saoirse Ronan (Sur-sha, as the Ladybird actress explained herself), Cillian Murphy (Killian), and Adele (It’s “uh-dale,” not “ah-dell,” she clarified).

Also, in case you want to talk about one of her show-stopping red carpet looks, the actress’s name Zendaya is pronounced “zen-day-ah,” not “zen-die-yah.”

@townandcountrymagazine You don’t have to call #KirstenDunst by her name—she’s heard it all, and she’s far too gracious to correct you. #CommonCourtesy#TownAndCountry♬ original sound – Town & Country

During her cover interview with Town & Country ahead of the release of her film Roofman, Kirsten quipped, “Maybe I can just make a movie where I don’t lose money?”

She told the magazine that she’d like to star in the Minecraft movie sequel. The film based on the famous video game is reportedly the highest-grossing film of 2025 so far.

Kirsten shared that her sons, 7-year-old Ennis and 4-year-old James, really enjoyed the first movie.

Kirsten explained that she doesn’t blame people for the mistake, noting that even co-workers often get it wrong

Kirsten Dunst smiling and looking down while holding a magazine, revealing the real pronunciation of her name.

Image credits: TikTok / townandcountrymagazine

The Hollywood star, who began her career when she was three years old, had her breakthrough role in the 1994 horror drama Interview with the Vampire opposite Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt.

In the film, Kirsten played a child vampire and shared her first onscreen kiss with Brad, who is two decades her senior.

Kirsten Dunst relaxing on a boat near the coast, wearing sunglasses and a striped shirt on a sunny day.

Image credits: Instagram / kirstendunst

In 2000, the actress starred as Torrance Shipman, the captain of a cheerleading squad, in the comedy Bring It On. Two years later, she starred as Mary Jane opposite Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man.

Her performance on the 2021 drama The Power of the Dog opposite her husband, Jesse Plemons, earned Kirsten an Academy Award nomination.

In her Town & Country cover interview, the actress joked that she hopes to make a movie that actually turns a profit

Kirsten Dunst posing in a sequined outfit, revealing the real pronunciation of her name often mispronounced by everyone.

Image credits: Instagram / kirstendunst

Speaking with the BBC last year, Kirsten discussed the gender pay disparity in Hollywood and said that she “didn’t even think to ask” about equal pay near the beginning of her career.

“I was very young and it just felt like at the time, what do you do?” she said.

“I was 17, I was still learning my taste in film. I didn’t even think to ask.”

She said she was paid less than her male co-stars, even though she had more box office success, with films like Jumanji and Bring It On.

Group of six people posing smiling in front of a large airplane nose, related to Kirsten Dunst pronunciation discussion.

Image credits: Instagram / kirstendunst

“The pay disparity between me and Spider-Man was very extreme,” Kirsten revealed. “I didn’t even think about it. I was just like, ‘Oh yeah, Tobey [Maguire] is playing Spider-Man.’ 

“But you know who was on the cover of the second Spider-Man poster? Spider-Man and ME,” she said, grinning.

Kirsten has spoken openly about Hollywood’s gender pay gap, revealing she was paid far less than her male co-stars

Kirsten Dunst dressed elegantly hugging a man in a suit, revealing the real pronunciation of her name to the public.

Image credits: Instagram / kirstendunst

The star revealed to Town & Country that her son James had an “extremely frightening” health problem while the family was living in Budapest during the filming of The Entertainment System Is Down.

Though she didn’t share specific details about the health scare, Kirsten said she, Jesse, and the boys flew back to Los Angeles and confirmed that “everyone is fine now.”

“It brought us together as a family in a deeper way,” she told the magazine.

Kirsten Dunst posing in a floral white dress with yellow flowers, revealing the real pronunciation of her name.

Image credits: Instagram / kirstendunst

Her new film, Roofman, is scheduled to be released on October 10. It is based on the life of robber Jeffrey Manchester (played by Channing Tatum), a former United States Army Reserve officer known as Roofman after stealing from branches of McDonald’s by entering their premises via the roof. 

Kirsten plays Leigh Wainscott, a single mother and Jeffrey’s love interest.

People reacted to Kirsten having to explain how to pronounce her name the right way

Comment by Whitney Curtis discussing the common mispronunciation of Kirsten Dunst’s name in a social media post.

Screenshot of a comment revealing the real pronunciation of Kirsten Dunst’s name as Keer-sten.

Facebook comment by Amanda Moquin discussing the common misspelling and mispronunciation of Kirsten Dunst’s name.

Screenshot of a social media comment discussing the real pronunciation of Kirsten Dunst’s name and common mistakes.

Comment by Jennifer Koziol mentioning correction about Kirsten Dunst name pronunciation and people getting it wrong.

User comment about knowing the real pronunciation of Kirsten Dunst's name, referencing common mistakes.

Alt text: Person commenting online with the phrase I feel her pain, relating to Kirsten Dunst name pronunciation discussion

Screenshot of a comment questioning the spelling of Kirsten’s name with multiple question marks in a social media post.

Text post by Kiersten Brouwer explaining the pronunciation of her name rhymes with beer, clarifying common mistakes.

User comment by Lice Almeida saying they love an unbothered queen, with a small profile photo of a person on a beach in casual clothing.

Comment discussing name pronunciation, related to Kirsten Dunst revealing the real pronunciation of her name.

Screenshot of a social media comment by Krystin Brooks saying Story of my life with a sad emoji.

Comment by Eddie Ciccarone expressing surprise about the pronunciation of Kirsten Dunst’s name being commonly misunderstood.

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