Kirsten Dunst Says No to Revisiting Iconic Role from Her Past That Made Her Famos

Kirsten Dunst has made it clear that she has no interest in returning to one of her most famous early roles.

The actress recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the possibility of reprising her role as Torrance Shipman in a sequel to the 2000 comedy Bring It On.

When asked at a screening of her new film whether she would return to the role after 25 years, Dunst said, “No. I say, ‘Leave the good stuff where it is.’ I can’t wear a cheerleader costume. I don’t even know what I would do, be a coach or something? Oh no. Let’s just leave it as is.”

She also added that even from a producer’s perspective, she isn’t interested in revisiting the role.

Bring It On was Kirsten Dunst’s breakout role in the teen comedy about rival high school cheerleading squads competing for a national title. Directed by Peyton Reed in his theatrical debut and written by Jessica Bendinger, the film starred Dunst alongside Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union.

Released in theaters on August 25, 2000, the film was a box office success, opening at number one in North America and earning roughly $90 million worldwide. It quickly became a cult favorite.

The movie spawned six direct-to-video sequels, Bring It On Again (2004), Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006), Bring It On: In It to Win It (2007), Bring It On: Fight to the Finish (2009), Bring It On: Worldwide Cheersmack (2017), and the TV film Bring It On: Cheer or Die (2022), none of which featured the original cast.

Critics gave mixed reviews at the time. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 65% approval rating, with an average score of 6/10, noting that despite the predictable plot, the high energy and humorous take on cheerleading made it enjoyable.

Several critics praised Dunst’s performance. A.O. Scott of The New York Times described her as “a terrific comic actress, largely because of her great expressive range, and the nimbleness with which she can shift from anxiety to aggression to genuine hurt.”

Charles Taylor of Salon called her “the sunniest imaginable parodist” among teenage actresses. The Village Voice’s Jessica Winter added that Dunst “provides the only major element of Bring It On that plays as tweaking parody rather than slick, strident, body-slam churlishness.”

Even critics who were less enthusiastic about the film acknowledged her talent, with Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle praising her willingness “to be as silly and cloyingly agreeable as it takes to get through a slapdash film.”

Despite the ongoing popularity of Bring It On, Dunst is firm about moving on from her role. Fans may have to enjoy the original and the sequels without seeing her return to the character.

Do you wish Kirsten Dunst had returned as Torrance Shipman, or is it better to leave the original as it is? Share your thoughts in the comments.