So most of Dunst's acting talent had been sitting forgotten in a box somewhere since she finished filming Interview with the Vampire, and she recently rediscovered it during a move or something?

Despite how odious I think von Trier is, perhaps he is a good director who can coax excellent performances out of his actors?

I've always liked Kirsten Dunst, starting with The Virgin Suicides. She's been in some clunkers, and been just as bad as the movies, sure, but I've always seen more there. Her character in Eternal Sunshine tends to be ignored, and she certainly isn't as memorable in it as Kate Winslet, but I've always thought she was under-appreciated in that movie - her character is a bit vapid and annoying, but the heartbreaking parts of her role always worked for me. Really, I think she's one of the best parts of that storyline, meaning I think she out-acts more respected actors in the forms of Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood (though not Tom Wilkinson, who is wonderful).

Sure, she didn't do much in Spider-Man, but only the villains ever got to do much there. And Marie Antoinette was a crazy movie, though I actually thought her performance was good there too. But it doesn't surprise me she can transcend, given a movie that allows her to do so.

Plus, Bring It On is awesome.

perhaps he is a good director who can coax excellent performances out of his actors?

Yes, but "coax" is not the right word for how he does it. Most actresses refuse to work with him more than once.

I, too, thought Kirsten Dunst did some lovely nuanced work in Eternal Sunshine -- I'd forgotten about that.

From all accounts, Lars von Trier is a thoroughly unpleasant human being with a crushingly nihilistic world view. Basically, the whole thesis of Melancholia is that the world is a horrible place beyond salvation and embracing death is the only noble course left to us. It's just that he decided to present his thesis in this particular movie in a series of beautiful tableaux full of rapturous images. So instead of coming across as bleak, the death wish of the heroine takes on... a kind of voluptuous longing that's quite seductive. It sucked me in for the duration of the movie anyway, and my mind keeps going back to those images, even though I'm more disturbed at what the movie is saying, the longer I have the time to think on it.

Plus, Bring It On is awesome.

Hell yeah, it is.

Yes, but "coax" is not the right word for how he does it. Most actresses refuse to work with him more than once.

I heard her say in an interview that he was OK with her, but she was prepared to have a great story about being treated horribly by the great von Trier.

I read an interview with Kirsten and she said that Lars was in a very good mood when he made the movie and she had a good time working for him.

Flavorwire lists 10 coolest tattoos on film.

Flavorwire lists 10 coolest tattoos on film.

Viggo Mortenson's Russian jailhouse tattoos in Eastern Promises should be on that list.