Dakota Fanning opens up about the pitfalls of child stardom, adapting Paris Hilton's memoir
Dakota Fanning is opening up about the pitfalls of child stardom.
The "I Am Sam" alum, who starred with Sean Penn in the film and became the youngest person ever nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, opened up to The Cut about "inappropriate questions" she was asked as a child star.
Fanning, who started in television at five years old, recalled: "In interviews at a young age, I remember journalists asking me, 'How are you avoiding becoming a tabloid girl?' People would ask super-inappropriate questions."
"I was in an interview as a child and somebody asked, 'How could you possibly have any friends?'" Fanning, now 30, told the outlet. "It's like, 'Huh?'"
Fanning said she has "a lot of compassion for people who have been made into examples" in child stardom, adding that "if society and the media hadn't played their part, who knows?"
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"I don't think that it’s necessarily connected a hundred percent to being in this business; there are other factors, too. I just didn’t fall into it, and I don’t know the exact reasons except that my family is comprised of very nice, kind, protective people," the "Perfect Couple" actress added.
Fanning's younger sister, Elle, also got her start in Hollywood at a young age − she played a younger version of her sister Dakota's character in the 2001's "I Am Sam." Her other acting credits include "Babel," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Super 8" and "Maleficent" movies.
"I have a mother who taught me how to treat other people and also how to treat myself," Fanning added. "And she was there every second. I was always treated with respect. It was never 'Bring the kid in! Get her out!' I wasn't working with people who treated me that way — I was being respected as an actor and as equal as you can be for that age."
"Looking back on my life, my career is such a present part of it, but I really think about the childhood memories, too," she said. "My life doesn’t feel disproportionate with work, and I’m so grateful for that. I’m there doing work that matters."
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Dakota Fanning to adapt Paris Hilton memoir: 'Girlhood dream come true'
Fanning teased her buzzy upcoming project about a fellow child star: a film adaptation of Paris Hilton's 2023 memoir with the heiress herself, production company A24 and her famous sister and producing partner Elle Fanning.
"This is my girlhood dream come true; it’s such an exploration of the early 2000s. Paris is a friend now, which is like, if you told me this at 12 ... She’s a genius. She knows exactly what’s going on. Nobody’s been fooling her. She’s dealt with super-traumatic situations in her life," the "Perfect Couple" star told The Cut.
Fanning said she and her sister "are both excited about it and getting to know Paris in a very real way," adding that "it's so wild because we grew up in her heyday — which, I mean, has she ever really not had a heyday? We're still living in it."
Fanning called Hilton "an icon who has endured the test of time."