Kirsten Dunst Says Kissing Tobey Maguire Upside Down in ‘Spider-Man’ Felt Like ‘Resuscitating Him’

Kirsten Dunst is reflecting on her iconic upside-down kissing scene with Spider-Man costar Tobey Maguire.

“I remember [the film’s director] Sam Raimi giving me a book of famous kisses to be inspired but also he really wanted to make it special even though it was kind of miserable actually doing it,” the Fargo actress, 41, said during an appearance on the upcoming Saturday, March 30, episode of ITV's The Jonathan Ross Show via The Independent.

She continued, "It was pouring with rain, freezing, Tobey couldn’t breathe so it was almost like I was resuscitating him."

Dunst – who portrayed Mary-Jane Watson opposite Maguire, 48, as Peter Parker in the 2002 blockbuster superhero film – previously opened up about how shooting their kissing scene was anything but glamorous, telling W Magazine that she "did not feel like it was a famous kiss."

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Dunst explained, "Water was getting up his nose because of the rain, and then he couldn't breathe in the Spider-Man suit ... and it just felt very late at night. I didn't think about it that way."

Referring again to the book of famous kisses Raimi gave her, Dunst explained that the gesture "made me realize how romantic and special Sam wanted this to be. Even though it wasn't necessarily feeling that way with Tobey hanging upside down."

She added of their smooch being considered one of the great onscreen kisses: "I'm proud to be a part of that. It looked like a great kiss."

In addition to 2002's Spider-Man, Dunst and Maguire both starred in its sequel, Spider-Man 2 (2004) and the third installment, Spider-Man 3 (2007). Maguire went on to appear in the 2021 film, Spider-Man: No Way Home, which stars Tom Holland as Spider-Man/Peter Parker. Andrew Garfield, who played the titular role in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its sequel (2014), also made an appearance in No Way Home.

"I love these films and I love all of the different series,” Maguire told Marvel.com in January 2023. "If these guys called me and said, ‘Would you show up tonight to hang out and goof around?’ or ‘Would you show up to do this movie or read a scene or do a Spider-Man thing?’ it would be a ‘Yes!’ Because why wouldn’t I want to do that?”

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Though Dunst has yet to reprise her role as MJ in the Marvel franchise, she told Variety in 2021 that it's not out of the question.

“I would do it. Why not? That would be fun,” she told the outlet at a screening for her film Power of the Dog. "I would never say no to something like that.”

She joked, "I’d be old MJ at this point with little Spidey babies.”