Kirsten Dunst says Brad Pitt was like 'brother' on 'Interview with the Vampire' set despite kissing scene

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Spider-Man' star Kirsten Dunst maintains that Brad Pitt "was like a brother" on the set of 'Interview With the Vampire' despite previous criticism of a controversial scene in which the noticeably older star kisses her.

The blonde beauty, 41, maintained she was "treated like a princess" during filming, despite the contentious scene in the movie where Pitt, then 30 years old, kissed then 10-year-old Dunst, per OK! Magazine.

Kirsten Dunst had some major support from 'older brother' Brad Pitt

In an interview with the British publication The Telegraph amid the release of her new film 'Civil War,' Kirsten Dunst reminisced that her co-star Brad Pitt in the 1994 gothic horror film 'Interview with the Vampire' was "like an older brother to me."

The actress, who was 10 years old at the time, appeared in the 1994 Gothic horror film alongside Christian Bale, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, and Pitt—who was 30 years old at the time he took the role of the mysterious vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac.

"[I was] treated like a princess. Yes, it was a virtually all-male set, but everyone was very gentle and kind, and nothing ever felt weird," Dunst said of making the gothic horror movie.

"Brad was like an older brother to me," she added.

Based on Anne Rice's book of the same name from a film script by the late author, 'Interview with the Vampire' featured Cruise, 61, as Lestat, and Antonio Banderas as yet another vampire, Armand.

Dunst mentioned that she had happy recollections from the set, such as the time that Cruise gave her a kind gift as they were filming on location at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire over the holidays.

"And then Tom – well, one morning around Christmas I remember going into my dressing room at Pinewood and he’d set up a beautiful tree in there for me, covered in ornaments,” Dunst expressed.

Dunst's portrayal of Claudia, a newly converted kid vampire, garnered her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama, per PEOPLE.

Kirsten Dunst previously addressed the on-screen kiss with Brad Pitt

As one of the few females on a mainly male set, Dunst had turned 11 years old when she filmed her first scene as Claudia, a young vampire compelled to develop in a child's body.

The American actress also claimed that the movie's main cast, including Pitt, who she had to film a sequence that she has since called "gross," treated her kindly.

Dunst did not focus on the contentious sequence where Dunst's character, Claudia, gets smooched by Pitt's vampire character Louis de Pointe du Lac, but she had mentioned it soon after the movie's release.

"I hated [the kiss] so much because Brad was like my older brother on set and it's kind of like kissing your brother. It's weird because he's an older guy and I had to kiss him on the lips, so it was gross," Dunst told Entertainment Tonight at the time.

She made an appearance in the same year, promoting 'Little Women' alongside co-star Samantha Mathis where she told interviewers, "I love Brad, he’s so nice … it was just, like, it feels awkward."

"I mean, I’m 12. And he’s, like, 31, and it’s like, he’s a man. So why would I enjoy kissing him?" Dunst added.

Mathis, who was 24 at the time, interrupted to say she would not refuse a kiss with the hunk, adding: "Maybe you’re not into kissing boys yet, so I can relate."

In response, a disgruntled Dunst lashed back, saying, "Well, especially because Brad is 31. I mean, he’s not exactly a boy."

Years later, Dunst remained steadfast in her opinion, telling Conan O'Brien in 2014, "I thought it was disgusting. I was 11, it would've been weird if I was like, ‘This is amazing.’"

Her least favorite parts of the production, she admitted to Vanity Fair in 2021, were kissing Pitt and biting the neck of another costar.

Dunst maintained at the time, "That was the worst thing I did and also having obviously to kiss Brad Pitt at that point. I was a little girl and he was like a brother to me and it was very weird even though it was a peck. I was very not into it."