Dakota Fanning Reveals the ‘Super-Inappropriate Questions’ She Was Asked as a Child Star

Dakota Fanning has dished on the “super-inappropriate questions” she was asked as a rising star in Hollywood. The Perfect Couple actor, who made her television debut at only 6 years old in 2000 and later starred in blockbusters opposite Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise, recently spoke with The Cut about growing up in Hollywood and the bizarre things reporters would ask her. 

“Yeah, all of that has been deeply shoved down my throat. In interviews at a young age, I remember journalists asking me, ‘How are you avoiding becoming a tabloid girl?’" The Emmy nominee admitted that she was always a “mature child” but was shocked when journalists would ask personal questions about her life. “People would ask super-inappropriate questions,” Fanning reflected. “I was in an interview as a child and somebody asked, ‘How could you possibly have any friends?’ It’s like, Huh?”

When the interviewer pointed out that "fallen child star" was "one of the tropes of the Hollywood Fame Machine," Fanning agreed. "That’s the thing. It’s like, Is that what you want to happen to me somehow? Is that what you want to happen to these people?" she asked. "I’ve definitely felt this kind of vibe from people almost wanting me to fail or something. It makes you feel a little bit guarded. I’m just living my life over here. I think also I was just a little too young for it to fully hit me. So that was good. People couldn’t get away with that kind of thing so much anymore. By the time I got to that age, it was sort of being recognized as probably not the best way to treat people.”

Fanning got her start at only five years old when she acted in small roles for shows like ER and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Her big break came in the early 2000s when she scored roles in movies including I Am Sam and War of the Worlds alongside Tom Cruise. The 30-year-old hints that she dodged a bullet from the tabloids obsessed with younger stars in the industry and credited her mother, Hannah Joy Arrington, for being physically present with her on movie sets, as reported by ENews.

"I have a mother who taught me how to treat other people and also how to treat myself. 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." She said. She also reflected on why she and her sister, who started her acting career at age three, were able to avoid the pitfalls of child stardom that some of their peers went through. "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," she said.