Since becoming a mom, Kirsten Dunst is experiencing a new level of freedom. But a decade ago, she was grappling with repressed anger.
In a newly published interview with The Sunday Times, the Spider-Man alum, 39, reflected on facing depression in her 20s and ultimately seeking treatment at a Utah rehab.
"I feel like most people around 27, the s--t hits the fan," she told the newspaper. "Whatever is working in your brain, you can't live like that any more mentally. I feel like I was angry."
She elaborated, "You don't know that you are repressing all this anger, it wasn't a conscious thing."
The actress acknowledged the impact medication ultimately had on her progress. "It's hard to talk about such a personal thing, but it is important to share too," Dunst said. "All I'll say is that medication is a great thing and can really help you come out of something. I was afraid to take something and so I sat in it for too long. I would recommend getting help when you need it."
This isn't the first time the actress has opened up about her depression. In a 2010 interview with New York, she reflected on the criticism of Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette, which Dunst starred in, as well as the isolation she suffered living alone in the Hollywood Hills. "You grow up in a business where there's a lot of people-pleasing. It's hard to be firm in your own ground and not be afraid to rock the boat," she told the magazine at the time. "I was swallowing a lot of stuff…In my relationships and personal life I absorbed things from other people, and then because of what I do for a living, I had to keep giving. It can dissolve you."
Through that chapter of her life, "You become a different person," the star more recently told The Sunday Times. "You grow up."
Dunst gave birth to her second son, James, with partner Jesse Plemons this year. The youngster joined older brother Ennis, who Dunst gave birth to in 2018.
"I remember feeling really free after having my [first] son," she told The Sunday Times. "I think as a performer you put yourself out there more [after having a child]. You put yourself on the line because you have nothing to lose. It doesn't really matter. And to show everything of yourself is a brave thing and a beautiful thing."
While the Power of the Dog actress is typically private about her home life with Plemons, she did confirm a wedding is still on their to-do list. "I would marry him tomorrow. We want a proper wedding, we just haven't had the time," she said. "And I wanted to have fun at my wedding and not pay for everyone else to celebrate while I am pregnant and waddling down the aisle."