Kirsten Dunst: You have to love acting to make it last

Kirsten Dunst has warned child stars who want to go the distance in Hollywood that they will need to love their jobs to make it all the way.

The 32-year-old blonde beauty found fame at the age of 12 when she appeared opposite Tom Cruise in Interview With A Vampire in 1994 and is still going strong 20 years later.

'You really have to love it, I think. If you don't, then there's no point. You have to love the craft of doing what you are doing,’ she said at the UK premiere of her latest film The Two Faces of January.

The star also warned that acting hopefuls that want to get into the industry for fame and fortune alone will be left disappointed.

‘If you are just in it to be famous or for the glamour, it can feel very empty,' she added.

While Dunst has been dating fellow actor Garrett Hedlund, 29, after meeting on the set of 2012’s On The Road, it is action man Viggo Mortensen that she plays the wife of in her new mystery thriller.

'Viggo is a very handsome man and a very talented actor,’ she said of her co-star, adding: ‘It was very easy to play his wife. He was one of the reasons I wanted to make the film.'

With filming taking place in various locations – including Greece and Turkey – Dunst revealed she was glad to soak up some culture with her boyfriend when she had breaks in filming.

‘We lived in the sightseeing places. We were at the Acropolis and places like that. We would go swimming in the sea, we would eat and swim – although we only had one day off per week. It wasn’t like being on vacation. We were at work.’

And the actress also explained she made some four legged friends while on the continent.

'There are a lot of cats in Greece and I love cats, so I would feed the cats with my boyfriend,' she giggled.

Co-star Mortensen was quick to enthuse about working with Dunst as well, saying: 'I enjoyed having Kirsten as my beautiful, young wife. It was fun. She works very hard but she also has a very good sense of humour which helps.'

The actor also took a moment to reflect on his time in the Lord of the Rings trilogy - revealing he enjoys watching Peter Jackson's current Hobbit trilogy and holds no resentment over not being invited to take part in the blockbuster series.

'Aragorn isn't in the book - although they've taken so many liberties for The Hobbit so they could have stuck him in there as well. But I have been to opening days for the first two and sat in the front row with 3D glasses. For me, personally, it was interesting to once-in-a-while catch an element of non CGI parts of New Zealand and that brought fond memories,' he said.