Following her Oscar nominated breakout role, Kate Hudson had the opportunity to take on Marvel, but the Spider-Verse had other plans.
The Golden Globe-winning actress recently revealed that she passed on the role of Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi‘s Spider-Man (2002), a role that ultimately went to Kirsten Dunst for all three movies in the franchise.
“Yes, I did,” she said on Watch What Happens Live. “And now that I look back, it’s one of those things where I look back like, ‘That would have been nice to be in a Spider-Man movie.’”
Hudson added, “At the same time, I did a movie called Four Feathers. I got to meet Heath Ledger, who became a very good friend, and I got an experience that I would have never had. So part of me is like, ‘Life happens exactly in the way it’s supposed to.’ And so I’m grateful for it.”
Still, Dunst admitted, “I do look at that [movie] and I’m like, ‘Oh, it would’ve been fun to be her.’”
Hudson also agrees that the Bring It On actress was the right choice for the role. “When people say these things, it doesn’t feel good to talk about it, because the people who are in the movie are the right people, right?” she explained. “And your circumstances in life happen the way they happen.”
Dunst went on to reprise the role of Mary Jane in Spider-Man 2 (2004) and Spider-Man 3 (2007).
After Tobey Maguire reprised his Peter Parker alongside successors Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland in Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Dunst said she “would have” come back as well if Marvel asked. With Raimi previously teasing that he’s “completely open” to directing another Spider-Man film, Dunst might get another chance at reprising the role.
