It turns out we’ve all been saying Oscar-nominated actress Kirsten Dunst’s name incorrectly.
Kirsten Dunst, recognized for her roles such as Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man series, Peggy Blumquist in the second season of Fargo, and the title role in Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, recently shared her feelings about this misunderstood detail of her life in an interview with Town & Country Magazine.
In the discussion, Dunst noted that nearly everyone she meets, particularly English speakers, mispronounces her first name. This also includes the Swedish and Hungarian team she worked with on her recent project, The Entertainment System Is Down.
“Everyone messes up my name, so I give up, I don’t care,” she laughed.
Common mispronunciations include ‘Kris-tin,’ ‘Ker-sten,’ and ‘Keer-sten,’ the last being the correct version.
“In England they don’t really say my name right,” the actress explained. “On the last set everyone said my name wrong, but there was like Swedish people and people from Hungary, and you just give up.”
So, if you ever run into the Hollywood star, remember to address her as ‘Keer-sten’.
Thinking of ‘Keir Starmer’ might aid in keeping it in mind… or maybe not.
Dunst isn’t alone in dealing with mispronunciations of her name among celebrities.
Jenna Ortega of Wednesday fame has previously clarified the correct way to say ‘Rihanna,’ while Demi Moore has also shared insights into the pronunciation of her name.
Emma Stone, known for films like Poor Things and Superbad, faces a different kind of challenge with her name.
Firstly, her actual name isn’t Emma.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter alongside Nathan Fielder, her co-star in The Curse, this was addressed.
“Before we continue, I’d like to say something. Her name’s Emily, but she goes by Emma professionally,” Fielder said. “So when there’s people that don’t know her, I end up saying Emma. But I’m going to just say Emily from here on.”
When asked if anyone in Hollywood calls her Emily, Stone replied: “When I get to know them, people that I work with do. It’s just because my name was taken [by another actress in the Screen Actors Guild]. Then I freaked out a couple of years ago. For some reason, I was like, ‘I can’t do it anymore. Just call me Emily.’ Nathan calls me Em, which is easier.”
Stone mentioned that it would be ‘so nice’ to be addressed as Emily by fans when out in public.