Handling Disasters,on Screen or Off

Its a tribute to Dunst that the explosive reaction to the conference,which resulted in von Trier being declared persona non grata at Cannes,did not overshadow her work in the movie,which won her the festivals best actress prize. It was a sweet victory for a performer still best known as Spider-Mans girlfriend.

Dunst,29,is happy to talk unguardedly about both Cannes performances: My reaction was like a reaction to a friend whos basically killing himself. I was so upset that he just kept going. I think at one point I did whisper to him,Lars,shut up,this is terrible. And then I was also thinking ahead,imagining,you know,Party Cancelled, Dinner Cancelled, Premiere Cancelled.

For Dunst,who remains an enthusiastic supporter of von Trier though not of his reckless comments,it was not an entirely surprising moment. When she first learned that the filmmakers Susanne Bier and Paul Thomas Anderson had recommended her to von Trier to play Justine,she flew to Denmark to meet him. Justine is the deeply depressed protagonist of the two-act Melancholia whom we watch first destroy her day-old marriage and then face,with remarkable aplomb,the end of the world. We went out to dinner that night,and he shared a lot with me about his own depression, she said. Then he starts coming out with these thingsthings that you just dont say to a young girl youre having dinner with for the first time.

None of that dissuaded her from taking the role,nor did the challenge of playing a central character who,for long stretches,says almost nothing. Dunst,previously had some experience with depression herself,and decided to do what she called character therapy to prepare,working with a coach on every beat of the script. Kiefer Sutherland,her co-star in the film,described her as unbelievably committed to going in the direction Lars wanted. By giving so much to the role,almost surrendering to it,she may have gotten more out of the film than anyone else.

But if Dunst approached the role with abandon,she was also methodical about it.

Obviously when youre depressed,youre not always clear about why youre reacting in a certain way, she said. There are scenes where I dont even recognise myself or the way

I sound.

Melancholia has won Dunst some of the best reviews of her career,but there is one problem it wont solve: Yeah, she said cheerfully,I am a little embarrassed when the valet guy says to me: Hey,are you ever going to do another movie? I havent seen you since

Spider-Man.

It has now been more than four years since she starred opposite Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 3,the last time she was seen in a major studio release. I miss the comfort of knowing Id come back to those bookends every few years. I grew up doing those movies. But she wasnt heartbroken when Sony chose to reboot the series with a younger cast in next summers Amazing Spider-Man.

I thought it would be really cool to have me and Tobey walking through the background of this new one as extras,just,like,eating lunch next to the new Spider-Man, she said. I would have loved to do that.MARK HARRIS