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HOLLYWOOD -- It's been one crazy, beautiful life Kirsten Dunst has been living for the past 12 years.

You can make that 16 years if you take into account she started doing commercials when she was three, but Dunst made her official acting debut in 1989 with a small role in Woody Allen's segment of New York Stories.

In little over a decade, Dunst has starred in an additional 30 feature films and television projects.

Her latest is crazy/beautiful, in which she plays a troubled and rebellious teen who falls in love with a quiet, studious Mexican boy (Jay Hernandez) at her school.

Opening Friday, crazy/beautiful is a deliberate move on Dunst's part to change her screen image and to show her acting range.

"Because of the roles I've played, people see me as the sweet girl-next-door. I wanted to kill that image at least for a while," says Dunst.

"I am no more the wild, self-destructive girl I play in crazy/beautiful than I am all sweetness. I'm an actress who can play both types of girls and hopefully with as much credibility.

"That's what I set out to do with crazy/beautiful and what I had to convince (director) John Stockwell I could do.

"John admitted he didn't think I could play a slob which I translated as meaning he didn't think I could handle the emotional range of the role. I gave him a piece of my mind and it worked because I got the part."

Having to prove herself to directors and producers is just one of the crazy things about being a seasoned actor at age 19.

She tired long ago about discussing her kissing scene at age 11 with Brad Pitt in Interview with the Vampire or any advice Tom Cruise may have given her.

Since pairing with two of Hollywood's most famous heartthrobs, Dunst has had more than her share of famous and hunky leading men, including George Clooney, Robert DeNiro, Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman.

She is still quashing rumors that the producers of The Virgin Suicides arranged for her costar Josh Hartnett to take her to her prom.

Rumours about an affair with her Spiderman costar Tobey Maguire are also not true. "Again, Tobey and I are just good friends. We're costars and friends. That's all."

Her dating status is a taboo subject. All enquiries are met with a firm NO COMMENT.

Dunst says she has finished work on Spiderman, but quickly adds: "I doubt the movie is finished. In fact, I'm pretty certain it's far from being finished. I've heard that (director) Sam Raimi is adding even more action sequences."

Dunst beat out Kate Hudson and Alicia Witt to play Mary Jane Watson, the spirited love interest of Peter Parker.

"I really wanted the role because I knew it would give my career a boost, especially in foreign markets where I don't feel I'm that well known."

She's hoping Spider-Man will reach audiences on the other side of the Atlantic in much the same way The Virgin Suicides and her cheerleader comedy Bring It On connected with American audiences.

"I am so proud of those two films," she says. "The Virgin Suicides showed I could nail a very difficult character, while Bring It On brought a great deal of joy to young girls. These are the beautiful rewards of being an actress."

Dunst has already completed the whodunit The Cat's Meow for director Peter Bogdanovich, in which she plays actress Marion Davies as the 27-year-old mistress of mogul William Randolph Hearst.

"The plan is to premiere The Cat's Meow at the Toronto International Film Festival this September."

For an actress who seems to work non-stop, Dunst doesn't have a future project.

"I'm keeping myself available for Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3 and Spider-Man 4," she jokes.

Crazy 'bout Kirsten