"Worst-case scenarios happening to your child" - Kirsten Dunst recalls terrifying health scare with 4-year-old son while filming in Budapest

Kirsten Dunst arrived at Budapest, Hungary, on set of The Entertainment System Is Down (her upcoming film) in January 2025 and was preparing to take on an entirely new role. The Oscar-nominated actress with credits including Spider-Man and The Power of the Dog brought her family to Budapest for the six-month shoot. Her husband Jesse Plemons, as well as their sons Ennis (7) and James (4), had settled into a rented house while Ennis went to school.

It was a bold move juggling Hollywood life with family life, but little did they know it would all come to a halt just days into their plans when James experienced a serious medical scare.

Dunst, several hours away from home, was dealing with one of the hardest things mothers have to deal with. In an interview with Town and Country magazine, she compared the situation with the movie Final Destination:

“It was like Final Destination, where you’re imagining all the things that could go wrong, worst-case scenarios happening to your child.” 

The lament of Final Destination mirrored her swirling thoughts, envisioning terrible and worst-case scenarios for her four-year-old son. 

What happened to Kirsten Dunst's son?

The details of James’ illness remain private, a choice Dunst made to shield her son. Yet the fear she felt was universal. She told Town & Country:

 "I've never seen that movie. But I know what the concept is. Sometimes, that's what being a mom feels like."

Though she’s never seen the film, Dunst knows its premise: a relentless dread of disaster. For her, that dread became real as Plemons made the tough call to fly their sons back to Los Angeles, where family support awaited, leaving Dunst alone in Budapest.

Yet from this darkness came light. James recovered, and the ordeal forged a deeper bond for the family. “It brought us together in such a deeper way,” Dunst reflected. To celebrate, they promised James a trip “anywhere he wanted to go.”

Every parent carries the weight of “what if.” For Dunst, that fear became a reality in Budapest, but it also became a testament to love’s endurance.

As she and her family head to the Bahamas, James’s wish for a steadfast sandcastle stands as a symbol of their unyielding bond - a structure built to weather any storm.