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Star Trekis one of the most popular sci-fi franchises in the world and has attracted many actors to its shows and films. While many actors such as Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, and Brent Spiner would go on to be global stars, others in far less prominent roles also made it in the industry.
One such actor wasSpider-Manstar Kirsten Dunst, who appeared as Hedril inStar Trek: The Next Generation. The actress was just twelve when she appeared on the show as the alien who shares a mentee/daughter-like relationship with Majel Barrett’s Lwaxana Troi. Dunst also appeared in her breakout role inInterview with the Vampirein the same year.
Kirsten Dunst Appeared In A Guest Role InStar Trek: The Next GenerationWhen She Was 12
Kirsten Dunstis perhaps best known for her role as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy starring Tobey Maguire. While she played the perfect yet complex love interest of Maguire’s Peter Parker in the films, her performance as the damsel in distress received much criticism in later years.
20 Years of Spider-Man 2: After Dissing the Spider-Man Kiss, Kirsten Dunst Refused Doing a Scene With Tobey Maguire She Found “Terrifying” – “Never doing it again”
While her breakthrough role came in the form ofInterview with the Vampirein which she starred along with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and received a Golden Globe nomination, she appeared inStar Trek: The Next Generationin the same year. Playing Hedril in the final season of the show, Dunst was only twelve when she appeared in a guest role.
In the episode ‘Dark Page’, the actress played a Cairn child who accompanies her father Maques to the Enterprise. Belonging to a species that can only communicate telepathically, Hedril becomes the star pupil of Lwaxana Troi who is training the Cairn species in the spoken language.
The episode was the last appearance of Majel Barrett as Lwaxana Troi, the mother of Deanna Troi. Dunst’s Hedril is shown to remind Lwaxana of her eldest daughter, Kestra, who had passed away. Lwaxana falls into a coma due to the telepathic communication taking a toll on her in addition to Hedril’s presence bringing up the trauma.
Kirsten Dunst Began Acting When She Was A Toddler
Most known for her role in theSpider-Manfilms, Kirsten Dunst moved away from the blockbusters and began starring in multiple indie and mid-budget films in the 2010s. She worked with acclaimed directors such as Sofia Coppola, Lars von Trier, Michel Gondry, and Jane Campion. She recently starred in Alex Garland’sCivil War.
While Dunst had her breakout role inInterview with the Vampire, she reportedly began acting when she was a toddler. She was reportedly even onSaturday Night Livein 1988 at the age of six. She broke down her career in a video forVanity Fair,
I was three years old in the grocery store. And people would come up to my mom and be like, ‘Your kid’s cute. You should put her in like child acting or modeling.’ And we were in New Jersey. And so, I signed with the Ford Modeling Agency as a little girl.
“I wanted to play a really strong woman”: Kirsten Dunst Wanted to Outright Refuse Playing a Role She Thought Was a Female Stereotype in Husband Jesse Plemons’ Oscar-Winning Movie
The actress mentioned that she booked a Kix commercial and then went on to star with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in the aforementioned gothic horror film.
Star Trek: The Next Generationis available to stream on Paramount+.
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
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Kirsten DunstStar Trek: The Next Generation
