LOS ANGELES””Kirsten Dunst was just 12 years old when she won a Golden Globe nomination for Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles. Then she became an international celebrity in the last days of her teens, courtesy of a costarring role in the megahit Spider-Man.

In an interview room in a Los Angeles hotel, she says her experience as a child actor helped her relate to the title character she plays in Marie Antoinette. The Austrian was married off to the future king of France at the age of 14 and quickly became the world's most famous teenager. The movie, directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Jason Schwartzman as Louis XVI, opens Friday, October 20.

“I could relate to it, and I understand the feeling of isolation and being judged and trying to find yourself and be a woman in a public situation” Dunst says. “But we are actors. We aren't running a country. I think the whole celebrity culture is so blown out of proportion. Everyone is obsessed with fame and money, and all the shows and magazines are about living a certain lifestyle. So you think that these celebrities are living that lifestyle and they are catered to all the time but that's not real; it is just our screwy culture.

She says the film should also have relevance for modern teenagers. “I also feel that it's not just a high profile that causes problems [in the lives of teenagers]. You can find problems in any family structure. Things can get worse and worse in relationships depending on the situation. The result of all of it is it can screw up your head a lot. So I think most modern teenagers will be able to relate to this movie. Both Louis and Marie lived in an isolated world where people gossip and make others feel badly. It was a world much like high school, where you think, 'This is the whole world.' I am also hoping that seeing history told in this way will make it more attainable for them [teenagers] and relatable. I think it's far more interesting than just memorizing dates and facts for your history class.”

Well past high-school days now, Dunst's fame has lasted a lot longer than the 15 minutes allocated to most actors. It's been 12 years since Interview With the Vampire, and although she will be front and centre for a third Spider-Man film in May, she has also had to survive bad reviews, for last year's Elizabethtown and 2004's Wimbledon. She says that at 24, she is learning how to cope with both the good and the bad things that come with being a high-profile actor.

“I don't read any reviews,” she says. “And I don't see myself as a celebrity. When I do get that feeling, it makes me feel very uncomfortable. I've learned to recognize it when other people think it [of me]. I have a good b.s. monitor. I don't disguise myself, because I can't imagine getting up in the morning and saying, 'I am going to disguise myself today.' I can't live that way.”