Adult actors often describe battling and barely escaping media brutality. It makes one wonder, what it is like for the young actors in the Hollywood biz. According to Dakota Fanning, the industry is not forgiving to child actors either.
Fanning began acting at the tender age of six and emerged as one of the most successful child actors. She starred in major hits like ‘Man on Fire’, ‘I Am Sam’, and ‘War of the Worlds’. However, she was not spared from media policing.
Dakota Fanning Recalls An Interviewer Asked Her How She Avoided Being A “Tabloid Girl”
Celebrities have endured various inappropriate moments during an interview. Dakota Fanning recalls several such instances while talking to The Cut. She said, “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.”
Fanning highlights the insensitivity of media to child actors who do not possess the maturity of older celebrities. She said, “I was in an interview as a child and somebody asked, ‘How could you possibly have any friends?’ It’s like, huh?”
Nonetheless, Fanning performed exceptionally as a child actor and bagged the youngest nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards for 2001 ‘I Am Sam’.
Dakota Fanning Credits Her Family For Protecting Her From Media Insensitivity
Fortunately, Dakota Fanning never felt cornered by the flashes of publicity and even mentioned the importance of media. She said, “I have a lot of compassion for people who have been made into examples. If society and the media hadn’t played their part, who knows?”
She continued, “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.”
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Moreover, Fanning believes she lucked out with a friendly and professional crew while filming as a child actor. She said, “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.” Fanning concluded, “I was being respected as an actor and as equal as you can be for that age.”
