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« Today's News: Our Take
Kirsten Dunst Goes to Rehab
Kirsten Dunst by Jamie McCarthy/ WireImage.com
Kirsten Dunst has checked into rehab, a source tells People.
Dunst has sought out the high-end Cirque Lodge in Utah, the same place where Lindsay Lohan received treatment, and where Eva Mendes is also currently being treated. The Spider-Man star has lately been spotted frequently on the party scene. After one of her recent nights out, however, she missed her own Glamour party, saying that she "wasn't feeling well." While some accounts describe the actress as a "carefree party girl," clearly she made a decision she felt was necessary.
What's your take? Why are so many young stars so vulnerable to these issues? Do Hollywood pressures play a role? — Anna Dimond
Related:
• Mendes' Rep Responds to Rehab Talk
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Feb 7, 2008 3:14 PM
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I'm beginning to think now that rehab isn't the last resort (no pun intended) it used to be, but instead is replacing AA as the "I may have a problem, let me see what it's about"?
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Feb 7, 2008 4:02 PM
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I'm wondering if because of the sudden deaths of Heath Ledger and Brad Renfoe (sp?). Not of natural causes, but drug induced, perhaps, the various stars are starting to have feelings of their own mortality. If they are heading down the same slippery slope, perhaps, stopping it is their top priority.
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Feb 7, 2008 4:34 PM
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Stars don't want to stop they just want to get their habit under control again.
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Feb 7, 2008 4:40 PM
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PatMc, that, too, for sure, but I was thinking more like all the stars who have gone into rehab in the past year or so.
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Feb 7, 2008 4:40 PM
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lmao--She chose the same one as LL? We all saw how well that one worked New Year's Eve.
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Feb 7, 2008 4:52 PM
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i doubt any of these stars are partying or going to rehab any more than they did 10 years ago, its just being reported more, come on every other day tvguide reports someone going to rehab like that has anything to do with tv
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Feb 7, 2008 5:24 PM
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I think the fact that she went before having any major public "incidents" is probably a sign that she's sincerely seeking help and, therefore, stands a chance. I've always liked her work and will hope for the best for her.
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Feb 7, 2008 5:24 PM
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I agree that is it a good thing that she is trying to address the problem before it gets out of hand. And I also agree that it seems that these kinds of things are getting a lot more publicity than they used to. I could be wrong on that though.
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Feb 7, 2008 6:42 PM
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I think Hollywood has always had this many substance abusers, but it used to be an actor could quietly slip away for 3-6 months (between jobs or during a series hiatus) and receive treatment privately. The actor would return to work and the public would be none the wiser. That changed for two reasons: Betty Ford announced to the world her addiction problems, so it became the (a) fashionable and (b) publicity savvy thing to do (look at me, look at me, look at me!!! I'm so brave for tackling my problems openly; I'm so sorry for acting like a jerk in public; I'm so sorry I wailed on my wife/kids/etc.); and most actors didn't use to have a dozen paparazzi stuck up their a@#es 24/7.
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Feb 7, 2008 7:33 PM
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I'm not quite as cynical about the stars public announcements regarding rehab. I think a lot of it is simply acknowledging that the news is going to come out anyway so why not head rumors etc. off at the pass?
I tend to think that Kirsten is making a sincere move here. After all, we haven't (or at least I haven't) heard any stories of public misbehavior on her part leading me to think that the problem is one that has been bothering her above and beyond how it affects her public image.
For whatever reason they do it I think that anyone who seeks help with any mental/medical problem deserves at least some minimal amount of respect. There are plenty of people who deny or ignore their problems in those areas and the consequences of that to themselves and to others can be devastating. Even if they're just recarging isn't that at the very least, a harmless course of action?
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Feb 8, 2008 2:41 AM
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Of course Hollywood presssures play a role here. I don't think that there is any evidence to suggest that what is happening today to "young stars" (and old stars, for that matter) is any different from what has always happened. The stories of scandals and various kinds of abuses coming out of Hollywood go back to its beginning. The pressures of fame, money, and access to vice have pretty predictable consequences. There are a few things that are different today: the media is much more apt to report these things than in the past and, perhaps, there is a greater public willingness to accept vices in stars, thereby making it less likely that people will hide. But is there any reason to think what is happening now is any worse than in the past? Not that I can see. At the least, it would be difficult to prove.
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Feb 8, 2008 9:59 AM
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Indeed, it's as it is with many things in the world today - it isn't the problems that are increasing, but rather the media coverage and the ability to transmit that coverage into every living room five seconds after it occurs. My grandmother was convinced that the murder rate was at an all time high because "You just didn't hear about that sort of stuff when I was a young girl." Of course you didn't hear about it, but that doesn't mean it wasn't happening. Someone gets killed in California and it immediately pops up on Yahoo's front page across the world, whereas before only local news would have had the means to cover it.
...That sort of went off on a slight tangent there, sorry. 
This obsessive tabloid stalking of celebrities is definitely at an unusual high compared to even five years ago. If I flip through my best friend's US Weekly, I feel like I'm a dirty, dirty peeping tom. I don't understand why photographers are fascinated with actors who are pumping gas or pushing babies in strollers, I really don't.
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Feb 8, 2008 10:33 AM
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I totally agree snarine and Dianora. Recently I was talking with friends about this very same thing. We hear so much more about abuse of children, sexual predators, weird political/religious cults and celebrity shenanigans that we think there has been a surge in recent years. But, as you both said, it is the increase in coverage, technology and outlet for information (or misinformation) that is key. The "accidents" of the 1940's are revealed to be the murders of the 21st century. The death from natural causes is exposed as a drug overdose and the "premature" births are known to have pre-marital origins. Like the song says "everybody's doin' it" and they always were.
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Feb 11, 2008 3:23 AM
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