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Features
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Stardom By Way of Dakota
What’s next for the ten-year-old star of this weekend’s number one movie? The list begins with a Steven Spielberg-Tom Cruise blockbuster and a drama narrated by Meryl Streep.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
By Addie Morfoot
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Jeffrey Mayer/Wireimage.com
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A modern age Shirley Temple
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At age ten, Georgia native Dakota Fanning has already worked alongside some of the most sought after and prestigious leading men in Hollywood, guys like Sean Penn, Denzel Washington and now Robert De Niro in this weekend’s Hide and Seek. But as is evident by her scene-stealing performances, the youngster is not at all intimidated by the idea of working with high-profile Oscar winners.
Asked how she got to be so mature at such an early age, Fanning defers during a recent interview with FilmStew to the pedigree of her latest big screen foil. "Mr. De Niro made me feel so comfortable," Fanning says. "He was so kind to me and I learned so much from him, to watch and act. He's so committed to the scripts, so focused, so I loved [working with him]"
Despite having to dye her hair jet black for Hide and Seek and constantly look terrified, Fanning says she welcomed her first opportunity to sample the horror thriller genre. “I've been lucky enough to get a taste of different kinds [movies],” she admits. “The sci-fi, the comedy, drama, the thriller type. I love doing all of them.”
“I've never really picked one,” she continues. “I've gotten the chance to do all sorts of different characters and I've heard it just grows, as you get older and older. It's exciting for me to get to see what comes on next."
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Theo Wargo/Wireimage.com
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Co-star Robert De Niro
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At the ripe old age of five, Fanning dropped out of school after a local theater instructor informed her and her mother that she should get an agent. Quickly thereafter, the pair were in Los Angeles for 2000 pilot season auditions.
After being cast on various shows such as ER, Spin City, Ally McBeal and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Fanning’s big screen career took off when she was cast in her first major film role opposite Hollywood royalty Penn. The young actress received critical acclaim for her performance in I Am Sam, saw Penn get a Best Actor nomination and, in her words, never left Los Angeles after that.
Currently, Fanning is filming Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, playing the role of Tom Cruise’s daughter (Rachel Ferrier). Then, in March, Fanning will jet off to Australia to start production on Charlotte’s Web, followed by Conquistadora, a film narrated by Meryl Streep and co-starring Patricia Clakson, Chris Cooper and William H. Macy. There is even talk of Fanning reprising the title role in a new live-action Hollywood treatment of Alice in Wonderland.
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Jeff Vespa/Wireimage.com
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A well counseled Elisabeth Shue
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“The script is being written right now by Les Bohem, who wrote Taken,” Fanning reveals. “I can't wait to read it.” Her 6-year-old sister Elle, meanwhile, who most recently starred in The Door in the Floor, will next appear in the Wayne Wang film Because of Winn-Dixie.
Understandably, Fanning has no complaints about the status of her career. In fact, she seems to be taking lessons from her very successful current co-star Mr. Cruise, who has the unique ability to be charming and seemingly frank without going into depth about anything. Queried about what she has learned from Cruise and Spielberg on the set of her new movie, Fanning offers an expertly quick but tight-lipped movie star response.
"I can’t say anything about [the film],” she says with a giggle. “You will have to see it. But [Tom] is so incredibly nice and Steven is so incredibly nice. That movie comes out on June 29th."
Meanwhile, one of the female co-stars of her current number one box office hit is quick to pay Fanning some equally high praise. "You don’t need to give Dakota advice; she will give you advice," explains Elisabeth Shue. "She reminded me to have a sense of humor, to connect my innocence to [the role], and to remember the newness of it all and the thrill of doing a film.”
“She embodies that enthusiasm and excitement each day."
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