The "could do couldn't do" meme is going viral thanks to a sexist Kirsten Dunst tweet
6 September 2019, 15:39
"Amy Adams could do The Godfather but Al Pacino couldn’t do Enchanted"
It's an age old question that we ask ourselves every day: Does she have the range? Judging by the "could do but couldn't do" meme, the answer to that question for almost every actress in Hollywood is: YES.
Last week, Reuters tweeted a video of Kirsten Dunst receiving her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The caption said that she was "best known for her role as Spider Man's girlfriend," as opposed to the Golden Globe and Emmy nominated leading actress that she is.
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Kirsten's career spans over 25 years and, yeah, while Mary Jane Watson was a pivotal role for her, people found the tweet incredibly offensive. The tweet was later deleted but the internet still made sure to call out the sexist caption in the best way they knew how – by turning the whole thing into a meme to make a damn point.
kirsten dunst could do once upon a time in hollywood but leonardo dicaprio couldn’t do bring it on
— meg zukin (@bymeg) September 1, 2019
The "could do but couldn't do" meme soon emerged following writer Meg Zukin's tweet highlighting Kirsten's range.
The tweet was then quickly turned into a meme template to point out the incredibly versatile performances that various female actors could pull off, while also saying actually, no offence, but maybe some male actors simply lack ~the range~.
amy adams could do the godfather but al pacino couldn’t do enchanted
— angel (@dykesinfilm) August 31, 2019
rachel mcadams could do the revenant but leonardo dicaprio couldn’t do mean girls
— lemon (@cIemmie) August 30, 2019
Anne Hatheway could do Darkest Hour but Gary Oldman couldn’t do Devil Wears Prada.
— Joel Kim Booster (@ihatejoelkim) September 1, 2019
rachel weisz could do james bond but daniel craig couldn’t do the favourite
— nicole (@chastaen) August 31, 2019
Nicole Kidman could do ‘The Shining’ but Jack Nicholson couldn’t do ‘Practical Magic’
— birthday brittney 🎉 (@brittneyplz) September 1, 2019
sandra bullock could do gangs of new york but daniel day lewis couldn't do miss congeniality
— Ayo Edebiri (@ayoedebiri) August 31, 2019
The meme has now descended into absolute chaos. People are pitting actors against other actors, musicians against other musicians, musicians against actors, screenwriters against famous playrights, Daniel Day Lewis against Peppa Pig apparently...
The hot takes are hot and you know what... maybe they are ALL correct.
robert pattinson could do cmbyn but armie couldn’t do twilight
— maya (@dreamivorys) September 1, 2019
Britney Spears could do FutureSex/LoveSounds but Justin Timberlake couldn’t do Blackout
— brittny pierre (@sleep2dream) September 2, 2019
the annihilation bear could do the revenant but the revenant bear couldn't do annihilation
— mary goore (@dunwaIl) September 5, 2019
one direction could do hey jude but the beatles couldn’t do no control
— linds (@slaggylindsey) September 4, 2019
phoebe waller-bridge could do hamlet but shakespeare couldn’t do killing eve
— clara (@villanellesbae) September 3, 2019
Elle Woods could do Harvard Law but Warner Huntington III couldn’t do UCLA Fashion Merchandising
— Ben (@bxburton) September 2, 2019
Peppa Pig could do Lincoln but Daniel Day Lewis couldn’t do Peppa Pig pic.twitter.com/tBoQcjeXGV
— creedthoughts.gov.www/creedthoughts (@Bernaize96) September 1, 2019
Daniel Day Lewis isn't tall enough to play Peppa Pig. He lacks the range and the height. SAD!
