Kirsten Dunst Defends Controversial Comments on Gender Roles

Despite her controversial comments regarding the importance of gender roles in relationships, Kirsten Dunst insists she's a feminist.

The actress has recently come under fire for telling Harper's Bazaar, "I feel like the feminine has been a little undervalued. We all have to get our own jobs and make our own money, but staying at home, nurturing, being the mother, cooking—it's a valuable thing my mom created."

"And sometimes, you need your knight in shining armor," Dunst added. "I'm sorry. You need a man to be a man and a woman to be a woman. That's why relationships work."

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Now she's defending her remarks to Flaunt, explaining her words were misconstrued.  "I was talking about my mother—obviously I'm a feminist," Dunst clarifies. "It's ridiculous that anyone would think other of me."

During the interview, Dunst also discussed the particular challenges of being a woman in Hollywood. "There are great female roles out there [but] there's only so much out there for all of us," she explains. "Everyone has to audition when it comes to certain parts, and women have to the most. I still think it's a boys' club in a lot of ways. And to be a strong female in this industry, you have to be really in touch with your masculine side, too. You have to be a pretty strong lady to survive it. You have to be very confident in yourself."

Dunst, who began her acting career at the age of three, takes great pride in her already-lengthy career. "That transition [from a child actor] doesn't happen to many of us. When it does, I think that you're really meant to be doing this," Dunst says. "A lot of people stop or it's too hard to transition. But people don't want to see you as an adult. I'm 32 now—that transition was done for me with [Sofia Coppola's 1999 film] The Virgin Suicides. That movie helped me go from a little girl to 'growing up.'"

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