Lynn Hirschberg: Dakota, you just moved to New York from Los Angeles to attend NYU. Why did you decide to go to college?
Dakota Fanning: For the same reasons I wanted to go to a high school: You hear people say, "Oh, when I was in high school" or "When I was in college." That defines a lot of who people are, and I didn't want to miss out on that.
Are you living on your own, or do you have roommates?
No roommates. Because I'm only 17, my mom is staying with me in my apartment for a little bit. She's teaching me how to wash clothes and such. But I'm so excited to be on my own. In my house in L.A., we all feel that everything is everybody's, and so doors are never really closed. My sister and I share a bathroom, and when you have a sibling, nothing is actually your own. I've never really had anything or any place that was just mine.
Have you bought your first couch?
About the only thing I don't have is a couch! That's the hardest thing about furnishing the apartment. I'm trying out a couch and thinking, Is this where I want to watch my shows? Am I comfortable enough here? The couch has been a bit of an ordeal! [Laughs.]
Your first film was I Am Sam, opposite Sean Penn. You were 6. On the first day of work, you had all your lines memorized, and he started to improvise.
And I thought, Okay, that's what it's going to be like. There was no other choice. I think he said, "Knock, knock," which was not in the script. I said, "Uh...who's there?" [Laughs.] And, yeah, that's what it was like. It definitely prepared me for the future. At other times, in other movies, actors would go off script and kind of test me like, Ah—maybe she's not going to be able to reply. And I already knew how to be ready for anything.
That's a hard lesson to learn at 6! Have you ever been intimidated on set?
I played the young Reese Witherspoon in Sweet Home Alabama when I was 7, and the boy who played the young Josh Lucas was 10. We had to kiss. I was watching it the other day because my sister put it on, and I was so embarrassed looking at my 7-year-old self having to kiss that boy. I don't remember feeling embarrassed at the time, and that was kind of weird too. Why wasn't I more embarrassed? But I think that may be the most intimidated I've ever been—having to kiss that 10-year-old boy on the beach in Florida over and over. [Laughs.]
When you were younger, did you like to audition?
It didn't bother me, but I usually wouldn't get things because of my hair. I had really short, wispy hair, and the girls with perfect long, straight hair with bangs and a butterfly clip would always get picked. Finally, I got some more hair and started getting roles.
One of the things that always impresses me about actors is their ability to fake a skill at a high level. An actor won't be able to boil water, but he can convincingly play a chef.
I've had to learn so many different things for movies. When I played a competitive swimmer in Man on Fire, [director] Tony Scott wanted me to do all the swimming myself. I had to race against girls who were competitive swimmers—and he wanted me to actually win the race. There would be some takes where I didn't win, and we had to do it again. I willed myself to win.
Have you always been interested in fashion? How old were you when you did the Marc Jacobs campaign?
I was 12. I was always into fashion because my mom has always been interested in fashion. She majored in fashion merchandising in college, and it's always been something we have in common. When I did that first campaign for Marc Jacobs, I really wasn't old enough to wear the clothes. He made all the clothes from the runway in my size. I still have them.
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Dakota & Elle Fanning: Golden Girlsby brartook8,738 views
at 0:18 who is who?
Baileybobb 12 hours ago
They look so alike!
16Sayra 3 days ago
elle looks older than dakota
MsKfetish 1 week ago
elle is even prettier than dakota..
MCBRFansite 2 weeks ago
i am seriously so jealous of both of them C:
isweetlikecandy 2 weeks ago
My fave sisters in hollywood!
BieberFever4ever961 3 weeks ago
elle should have played annabeth in perc jackson
abbbcbdbable 3 weeks ago
elle looks older than dakota hah
MissPoppy1998 3 weeks ago
They look amazing :)
Christena85 4 weeks ago
omg these girls are super super cute
BabyBoyIced 4 weeks ago