Kirsten Dunst celebrates a birthday today, but that’s not the only reason she’s trending online; the “Melancholia” actress lent her voice to a very popular television show over the weekend, and fans are buzzing about it.

Dunst and actress Marlee Matlin starred in Sunday’s episode of Cosmos, voicing animated characters based on real people. Dunst played British astronomer Cecilia Payne, who was the first to discover a chemical composition in the stars. Matlin played American astronomer Annie Jump Cannon, who developed a catalogue of the spectral characters of stars.

The hugely popular science program–hosted by astrophysicist and general badass Neil deGrasse Tyson–has tapped celebrities for their vocal talents before; Cary Elwes, Seth MacFarlane, and Patrick Stewart have all provided voices for the animated portions of the show.

Dunst, who turns 32 today, will next be seen in the dramatic thriller The Two Faces Of January with Viggo Mortensen and Oscar Isaac.

30 Apr 1982, saw the birth of Kirsten Dunst (32), she rose to fame as Claudia in Interview with the Vampire aged 12 pic.twitter.com/ANLUi2YBtW

— On This Day In Film (@onthisdayinfilm) April 30, 2014

Proud to be part of "Costmos" Kirsten Dunst, Marlee Matlin Voice Female Astronomers on 'Cosmos' Sunday http://t.co/FYdlL6O0ui @SPACEdotcom

— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) April 27, 2014

Dunst found herself in a bit of controversy recently when she made comments in an interview about the “casting couch” following the Bryan Singer scandal.

“I don’t give off that vibe,” she said. “I think that you court that stuff, and to me it’s crossing a boundary that would hinder the trust in your working relationship.”

Dunst also told Harper’s Bazaar UK that she feels femininity has been undervalued over the years, and went on to talk about the role of a man and woman in a relationship. Her comments immediately went viral and backlash ensued.

“I feel like the feminine has been a little undervalued. We all have to get our own jobs and make our own money, but staying at home, nurturing, being the mother, cooking – it’s a valuable thing my mum created. And sometimes, you need your knight in shining armour. I’m sorry. You need a man to be a man and a woman to be a woman. That’s why relationships work,” she said.

What a rad concept, Kirsten Dunst: "You Need a Man to Be a Man and a Woman to Be a Woman" http://t.co/aLUS6BUDik via @usweekly

— Francisco d'Anconia (@FdAnconia24) April 12, 2014

Kristen Dunst, awesome in Bring it On, is sadly not so awesome in real life: http://t.co/LSm8nMOSFW

— Hemal Jhaveri (@hemjhaveri) April 12, 2014

Image via Wikimedia Commons