“It would’ve been fun to be her,” the “10 Things I Hate About You” actress admitted.

Kate Hudson turned down Mary Jane Watson role in Spider-Man: ‘Would have been nice’

"It would've been fun to be her," the "10 Things I Hate About You" actress admitted.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

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December 23, 2025 6:47 p.m. ET

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Kirsten Dunst in 'Spider-Man'; Kate Hudson. Credit:

Zade Rosenthal/Columbia; Gareth Cattermole/Getty

- Kate Hudson reflected on turning down the role of Mary Jane Watson in *Spider-Man*, which ultimately went to Kirsten Dunst.

- Hudson admitted that it "would have been nice to be in a *Spider-Man *movie."

- However, she thinks the superhero film found the perfect cast without her: "The people who are in the movie are the right people."

Kate Hudson is reflecting on turning down the opportunity to romance New York's favorite wall-crawler.

The *Almost Famous* actress responded to a fan question asking if she passed on playing Mary Jane Watson in Sam Raimi's *Spider-Man* during an interview with Andy Cohen on *Watch What Happens Live* on Monday.

"Yes, I did," she confirmed. "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.'"

Kirsten Dunst in 'Spider-Man 3'.

Merie W. Wallace/Columbia

However, Hudson maintained that she still treasures the project she opted to do instead, the historical war drama *The Four Feathers*. "At the same time, I did a movie called *Four Feathers*," she said. "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."

The actress admitted that she occasionally considers what the *Spider-Man* experience might have been like. "I do look at that [movie] and I'm like, 'Oh, it would've been fun to be her,'" Hudson said.

Mary Jane was ultimately played by Kirsten Dunst, who went on to reprise the role in 2004's *Spider-Man 2* and 2007's *Spider-Man 3*. Hudson thinks that the *Bring It On* actress was exactly the right fit 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?" she said. "And your circumstances in life happen the way they happen."

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Hudson is one of the few actresses of her generation who has never performed in a comic book movie. However, she previously stated that she was open to the possibility of joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some capacity if the right opportunity arose.

"I think if it was the right thing, I would love it. I actually think that I'm really well-suited for the Marvel world," the actress told ComicBook.com in 2022. "But it would have to be the right kind of lady. I think that I could be a really good spunky superhero or supervillain. I don’t know what it would be. But yeah, I'd be down if it was the right thing, I'd be very down."

Kate Hudson in Paris in 2025.

Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty

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Hudson did eventually collaborate with two *Spider-Man* stars in the 2014 crime thriller *Good People*. The film was produced by Tobey Maguire, who played Peter Parker in Raimi's *Spider-Man* trilogy, and it costarred James Franco, who portrayed Harry Osborne in all three films.

Hudson will next star in *Song Sung Blue*, a drama about a musical couple who join forces in a Neil Diamond tribute band. The film hits theaters Christmas day.

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