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Dakota and Elle Fanning grew up in front of the cameras as child actors with impressive résumés.
The sisters made their film debut in the 2001 Sean Penn drama, “I Am Sam,” where Dakota, 31, starred as Lucy, and Elle, 27, played a younger version of the character.
While each sister took a different path with their careers in the spotlight, they both successfully navigated away from the perils often associated with young actors in Hollywood, thanks, in part, to their desire to put family over everything.
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Elle Fanning and Dakota Fanning said there’s no competition between them when it comes to their Hollywood careers. (Gilbert Flores)
When Vanity Fair questioned why the Fanning sisters weren’t more “f—ed up,” Elle jokingly said, “We’re like, ‘We’re so f—ed up. You don’t even know the half.’”
Elle continued, “Even though we were young in this business, I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. People want us to feel like we missed out. They love that narrative.”
Dakota delved further into their relationship and admitted there was “zero” competition between her and her younger sister.
“We obviously share a lot, but we’re very different,” Dakota said. “So I don’t even see something that’s right for her as being right for me. I don’t feel competitive. But I know that people probably don’t believe that.”
Elle noted, “When we were younger, we wanted to make sure that people saw us differently, and we wanted to give each other space to carve our own path. But as adults, it’s been very fulfilling to merge.”
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Fast-forward to 2025, and Elle wears her status as Dakota’s little sister with a badge of honor.
“I just want to do everything that she does,” Elle said. “I’m a nepo sister. Of course I got opportunities because people are like, ‘Oh, it’s Dakota Fanning’s sister. We’ll see her audition.’”
Dakota and Elle Fanning both made their film debut in the 2001 Sean Penn movie, “I Am Sam.” (Kevin Winter)
Dakota’s attitude toward her younger sibling has evolved through the years and “changed as I’ve gotten older,” but the award-winning actress stands by a family-first mantra.
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“I just want to do everything that she does. I’m a nepo sister. Of course I got opportunities because people are like, ‘Oh, it’s Dakota Fanning’s sister. We’ll see her audition.’”
“I just want her to have everything that she wants,” Dakota said. “What’s mine is hers, and I feel the same thing back from her. We have that mentality in our family. When something good happens, it’s shared by all of us, because we’ve all helped each other get to where we are.”
Each sister boasts more than 70 credits in the nearly three decades they’ve been in business, but Elle noted she had a slight advantage over other child actors, thanks primarily to her older sister.
“Dakota was always there to protect me,” Elle said. “It’s molded both of us, the responsibility that she’s felt — that I don’t even know that she’s felt.”
Dakota Fanning starred alongside Tom Cruise in “War of the Worlds” in 2005. (KMazur)
The “Man on Fire” actress was subjected to the early aughts of Internet gossip culture, where Elle noted “someone was always trying to catch” her sister doing something.
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“When we were younger, we wanted to make sure that people saw us differently, and we wanted to give each other space to carve our own path.”
After lamenting the rise in popularity on a gossip website, Dakota admitted she asked her friends not to post any photos of her online.
“I definitely had my guard up,” Dakota recalled. “It wasn’t even really about ‘This will ruin my career.’ I don’t want to get in trouble with my mom. It wasn’t about the public – it was Joy Fanning.”
Dakota added: “Maybe there were moments where I was annoyed by it. But I would never have shown that to anyone. I’ve always compared it to a great-uncle at the family reunion being like, ‘I remember when you were this big.’ It was that all the time.”
The “War of the Worlds” star acknowledged that she feels responsible for her younger sister.
Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning both felt a need to protect each other as child actors in Hollywood. (Eric Charbonneau)
“It makes her uncomfortable when she feels that I’m out of control,” Dakota said. “But I’ve been responsible and in control of a lot of things for my whole life. Sometimes you have to get me home.”
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Dakota added, “She’s super supportive but likes it when I’m together,” before jokingly adding, “I’m always in control, deep down.”
Elle, however, is aware that her older sister enjoys “getting a rise out” of her.
“The first time that she called me for advice, it was like the sun had just come down on me,” Elle said. “Now we talk about everything. She knows all my secrets and I know all of hers. I relish the fact that I can protect her because she needs protection too.”