Following her Oscar-nominated breakout role, Kate Hudson had the opportunity to take on a Marvel project, but the Spider-Verse had other plans.
The Golden Globe-winning actress recently revealed that she passed on the role of Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi’s *Spider-Man* (2002), a role that ultimately went to Kirsten Dunst for all three movies in the franchise.
“Yes, I did,” Hudson said on *Watch What Happens Live*. “And now that I look back, it’s one of those things where I look back like, ‘That would have been nice to be in a Spider-Man movie.’”
Hudson added, “At the same time, I did a movie called *Four Feathers.* I got to meet Heath Ledger, who became a very good friend, and I got an experience that I would have never had. So part of me is like, ‘Life happens exactly in the way it’s supposed to.’ And so I’m grateful for it.”
Still, Dunst admitted, “I do look at that [movie] and I’m like, ‘Oh, it would’ve been fun to be her.’” Hudson also agrees that the *Bring It On* actress was the right choice for the role.
“When people say these things, it doesn’t feel good to talk about it, because the people who are in the movie are the right people, right?” Hudson explained. “And your circumstances in life happen the way they happen.”
Kirsten Dunst went on to reprise the role of Mary Jane Watson in *Spider-Man 2* (2004) and *Spider-Man 3* (2007).
https://deadline.com/2025/12/kate-hudson-grateful-she-passed-spider-man-role-1236656765/
