Kirsten Dunst Refused Sofia Coppola’s Suggestion To Lose Weight For Movie

There are so many tales of actresses being told by a director or an agent to replace their normal diet of food with low-calorie air before a film shoot in an attempt to lose weight. Kirsten Dunst is the latest to say that a director looked at her and thought, “I like it, but can I get it in an extra-small?”

Kristen and her frequent director/friend Sofia Coppola recently spoke to Variety about their upcoming remake of The Beguiled, which is premiering at Cannes this month. I’ve never seen Kirsten Dunst on a scale, but I can imagine she probably clocks in at somewhere between thin-ish and normal. That must not have been what Sofia had in mind for the character of Edwina Dabney, and she asked Kirsten if she would lose some weight. Kirsten said no.

“It’s so much harder when you’re 35 and hate working out,” Dunst says. She even used the shoot’s location – in rural Louisiana- as an excuse. “I’m eating fried chicken and McDonald’s before work. So I’m like, ‘We have no options! I’m sorry I can’t lose weight for this role.'”

Kirsten says Sofia was “very understanding.” Considering they’re half-smiling together on the cover of a magazine, I’d say they’re still friends. Probably better, even. Something like that tests a friendship. Not the suggested weight-loss part – the part about fried chicken and McDonald’s. Imagine if Sofia had said that wasn’t a good enough excuse? Finding out who you thought was your friend has such little respect for fried chicken and McNuggets is a real true colors moment.

Pic: Yu Tsai/Variety