“I really wanted to bring a little of the New Romantic spirit into it because I felt it had such a similar mix of youthfulness, color and decadence,” says Coppola. “This is a more playful version of history that reflects teenagers in a decadent time. At the same time, there is always a sense that while they’re partying into oblivion the revolution is right around the corner.”
Even before Coppola started writing the screenplay for MARIE ANTOINETTE she could only envision one actress in the lead role: Kirsten Dunst, who seemed to possess both the sprite-like spirit and the dazzling, pale complexion for which the French Queen was so famous. Dunst, who made her debut in Woody Allen’s NEW YORK STORIES and went on to garner a Golden Globe for Neil Jordan’s INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE, first worked with Coppola in the director’s acclaimed debut THE VIRGIN SUICIDES. She has since gone on to roles that range from the popular teen hit BRING IT ON, to the femme fatale of the blockbuster SPIDER-MAN® series, to the surreal comedy of ETERNAL
Says Coppola: “In everything I read about Marie Antoinette, I pictured Kirsten. She has that same quality of being a bubbly, full-of-life blonde who has a lot more going on than people assume. Kirsten also had that same playful, creative spirit that I sensed in Marie Antoinette. She has that certain mix of charm and depth – and, being part German, she also has the perfect skin and look for the role. I knew Kirsten could bring Marie Antoinette to life, as I had imagined her.”
Biographer Antonia Fraser was equally excited about the casting. “I thought, ‘that’s absolutely the right face,’” she says upon hearing that Dunst would tackle the role. “That’s exactly the kind of jewel eye and prettiness that was so alluring. When I saw her in person, I thought she was a perfect physical match. She especially has that gracefulness for which Marie Antoinette was so renowned.” Like Coppola, Dunst found herself riveted by the concept of Marie Antoinette as a vivacious, sweet, yet slightly rebellious teen who found herself in incredible circumstances of both luxury and scrutiny. She immediately drew a link between Marie Antoinette and her modern-day counterpart — the late Princess Diana, another young outsider who struggled to find herself amidst a stifling cult of celebrity and royalty.
For Dunst, the parallels between Marie Antoinette and her own life as a child actress also resonated. “I could really relate to her because I started acting when I was 11 and since then, I’ve been constantly surrounded by adults, constantly surrounded by people I’m trying to please. That’s why I really understood the situation Marie Antoinette was in – leaving her home and coming to this place where there were all these expectations and all these judgments about her.“ Dunst continues: “When there are so many people paying so much attention to you and wanting so much from you, it can make you feel very isolated and lonely. You’re constantly wondering, ‘Is this person using me?’ or ‘How do people see me?’ It created a kind of sadness in Marie Antoinette that hasn’t really been seen before. I think Sofia probably wanted me to play Marie Antoinette because she saw that I had that same sadness and loneliness in me.”
Movie Database
In Theaters
