The Luminous Elle Fanning

Emerging from childhood roles with remarkable poise, Elle Fanning has grown into one of her generation’s most versatile performers, balancing blockbuster spectacle with intimate, character-driven acting. At just a glance, Elle seems effortlessly luminous. Her talent runs far deeper than just her natural beauty though with her remarkable kindness and intelligence during interviews for her next big role in film or TV, her modelling or her work with Lewellen Pictures, and her own production company. Whether inhabiting wild dreamers, important historical figures, or modern young women, Fanning brings a rare blend of vulnerability, intelligence, and quiet strength to every role she plays.

Born in the quaint Southern town of Conyers, Georgia, long before she dreamed of making it to Hollywood, Elle was simply Mary Elle—a bright-eyed, blonde-haired little girl whose mind and imagination stretched far beyond her surroundings. Sport, and athletic discipline, runs deep in her family, even today. Elle’s grandfather, Rick Arrington, was a celebrated American football player; her mum, Heather, was a former tennis player; her dad, Steven, played minor league baseball for St. Louis Cardinals affiliates.

It was her older sister, Dakota, though, who was the first in the family to stray away from sports and dip her toes into the arts. Heather had been taking Dakota to acting workshops in Conyers at the little local theatre and, after being booked to a local agent, went to LA for a short trial period. Elle, of course, was taken along too with mum, grandma, Dakota and the family’s elderly pet schnoodle (a mini-schnauzer-poodle), Lewellen, in tow. What an adventure for the young girl. A ride, it turned out, of a lifetime.

‘I was probably about two when I came [to Los Angeles],’ Elle told Interview magazine (at age 12) in 2010, on the press junket for the Sofia Coppola drama film, Somewhere (for which Elle won Actress of the Year Award at the 13th Annual Young Hollywood Awards.) ‘My sister came out first to see if the whole acting thing would work out, and then we all moved out here. I don’t really remember Georgia that much, but we go back if we can.’

It was whilst spending time in LA and playing the acting circuit alongside her sister, young Elle (only a toddler) landed her first ever acting job in the Jessie Nelson-directed I Am Sam, starring Sean Penn as an intellectually disabled man who raises his young daughter, Lucy (played by Dakota) on his own. Elle appears in the film briefly, only in a flashback, but the role was substantial enough to be marked as her first film credit. This would have been such a big new world for the young actress.

The small role is what led to her next role as Jamie, one of the little attendees of Eddie Murphy’s Daddy Day Care. If you can think back to the early-2000s kids movie, Jamie was the one who called 911 because a boy broke her doll. Hilarious and adorable. Unlike many child actors who are limited to lighthearted roles, Fanning quickly demonstrated an ability to handle emotionally complex acting, even at that age.

Throughout the 2000s, her roles expanded her range as an actress in films such as legendary ‘Amigo of Mexican Cinema’ Alejandro González Iñárritu’s psychological drama, Babel, alongside the likes of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

‘Elle is just very present,’ Iñárritu said to Vanity Fair in 2020. ‘She’s not like the classic nervous-bullshitting-constantly-looking-around-“Who is looking at me” type of person. When she laughs, she really laughs. You know? When she is listening, she’s really listening. Most people pretend that they’re listening to you….’

It was with this sense of wonder and curiosity that Elle was able to land roles in David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Daniel Barnz’s Phoebe in Wonderland, both in 2008. It’s important to note that, around this time, as she was growing up in Hollywood, her parents deliberately succeeded in keeping both Elle and Dakota stable and structured. Whilst they were both working in their separate roles in film and TV (Elle had tiny roles on CSI: Miami and CSI: NY too), both Fanning sisters weren’t raised in the Hollywood bubble at all. School, routine and family time were non-negotiable for both girls. Their grandmother was a big influence on their schooling.

‘I was homeschooled up until third grade,’ she told a reporter in 2014, ‘and I liked it because my grandma taught me, and I loved being with my grandma. But then I didn’t really have any friends, none my own age. So my mum put me in school in fourth grade. It’s cool because I’ve realized things about myself that I wouldn’t have if I weren’t in school.’

As she approached her teenage years, Elle chose a different path to her fellow child actors, gravitating toward indie films and artistic collaborations, offering quite bold and varied performances. She noted to Teen Vogue (with a trademark grin, of course, and a shrug) that ‘Some people do piano lessons after school; I do movies.’

At age 12, Elle landed her next role as Cleo in Sofia Coppola’s 2010 drama film, Somewhere, alongside Stephen Dorff and Michelle Monaghan. The film follows a nomadic actor whose lifestyle is interrupted by the arrival of Cleo, his young daughter, who turns up to live with him. Fanning had built a reputation, reportedly, for her acting in Phoebe in Wonderland, where her ability to convey depth with minimal dialogue made her stand out. It is with her subtle gestures, silence and understated warmth that shaped the Somewhere’s tone. It’s fun to note, that before filming began, Fanning and the other cast members improvised meals together, so as to ease the young star into a more authentic role. They actually made a little family, so Elle could feel more comfortable. The film marked a very important step in her transition from Elle as a child actor to more mature character-driven roles. The film itself went on to win the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

‘Elle is a true artist,’ Sofia had told reporters. ‘She’s not just interested in acting; she’s interested in all aspects of filmmaking. She’s always asking questions and wanting to learn more.’
That evolution paid off in the 2011 sci-fi thriller, Super 8. Directed by J. J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg, Elle earned widespread acclaim for her emotionally mature performance as Alice Dainard, at just 13. The movie saw Elle nominated for multiple awards, including for Best Young Actor at the 2012 Critics Choice Awards and Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards.

‘One of the harder parts,’ she said to GamesRadar whilst promoting the film, ‘was reacting to stuff that wasn’t actually happening.’ Super 8 was filmed primarily using green screen, so the teenage cast were set to engage more with their imagination. Critics had spotted the teenage girl’s talents for sure and offers for roles flooded in.

‘I was 13 and a teenager, as well,’ Elle told Christina Radish from online movie hub, Collider in 2013. ‘When you’re that age, you want to be an adult, in a way, but you don’t want to have the responsibilities of an adult. You still want to have the freedom.’

As she embraced her teenage years, her focus on style and fashion was opened up to her during her 2011 cover shoot for Teen Vogue and attending her first ever Met Gala (in which, reportedly, she got particularly star-struck by Beyoncé), which both showed off her fashion flair and her confidence.

‘I think [my style] would be quirky, sort of offbeat. I love the ‘70s. I’m very into that right now … I like to be very girly with bows and ruffles on the red carpet.’

The following year, Elle experienced a particularly nerve-wracking milestone for any young actress—kissing on screen. The star admitted on The Late Late Show with James Corden that the kissing scene in the Sally Potter coming-of-age film, Ginger & Rosa, ‘My first kiss is on screen for eternity. I can watch my first kiss happen! It’s sweet, a bit embarrassing, but sweet.’

In the same year, Elle balanced these edgier roles with mainstream appeal, playing Aurora in Robert Stromberg’s Maleficent alongside Angelina Jolie. This role introduced her to a global audience and showcased her ability to lead a major fantasy film.

‘What’s so beautiful is that these Disney films have such strong messages,’ Fanning said to Harper’s Bazaar. “And we’re not talking down to children, which is important. The youth of today have a very strong voice and can make so much change. Our film is set in this fantastical world, and it is a fairy tale, but it’s very much grounded in the reality of serious issues going on today.” For her portrayal as Aurora, Fanning was nominated for a Saturn Award, a Teen Choice Award and a Kids’ Choice Award.

Her next big role was different from Disney, alright. So different it really proved she had what it took to thrive in the industry. It was in the art-house horror film, The Neon Demon, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, Fanning played an aspiring model navigating the dark side of the fashion world—a daring and stylistically bold role that cemented her reputation as a risk-taker.

‘Nic [Winding Refn] and I were trying to figure that out during filming,’ Fanning told Yasmeen Gharnit from Nylon. ‘The way he shoots is in chronological order—which I’ve never done before—is so helpful with this character. We got to the runway show, when my character gets to close the show, and that’s where she transforms. We shot that in two days, and it felt weirdly like a music video because Nic played music during filming. There’s also no dialogue. It’s like a free fall; you can kind of do whatever you want.’

Unlike many traditional coming-of-age performances, Fanning’s portrayal of Jesse was deliberately restrained, and unsettlingly detached from the hyper-stylized world around her. Funnily enough, 2016 was also the year Fanning graduated from Campbell Hall School, an independent co-ed school located in Studio City. It’s quite a wild thought that in the same year as graduating high school, she was playing such a bold character in her spare time. Also, it started her passion for fashion, making her debut as a runway model and attending fashion events (usually with her sister.) She later walked the runway in 2018 for Paris Fashion Week as part of Miu Miu’s Fall/Winter collection and then Paris the following December for L’Oréal Paris. Elle has also appeared at events like L’Oréal’s Women of Worth Dinner, which honors women making a difference in their communities—showing her support for girl-power and women’s leadership.

From the striking performance in The Neon Demon, her résumé grew tenfold. She portrayed the titular role in the 2017 Haifaa al-Mansour romantic period drama, Mary Shelley in which she portrayed the iconic Frankenstein author, who showed solid understanding of the role rooted within literary history. And in that same year, Fanning appeared as Alicia (alongside Kirsten Dunst, Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell) in the award-winning American Southern Gothic film, The Beguiled, directed by old friend Sofia Coppola. The Beguiled marked a continued collaboration between the director and the actress.

‘I felt like I had never played a character that was also kind of so comedic,’ Elle told Eat Play Rock, as she sat alongside Coppola and Dunst. ‘Because I got to say a lot of funny lines and [Sofia] allowed me to kind of be playful with her. I had a good time with that.’

Fanning’s career reached new heights with her portrayal of Catherine the Great in the satirical series The Great, which hit Hulu during the lockdowns, so became a popular binge-watch. Her performance blended sharp comedic timing with dramatic nuance, earning critical acclaim and solidifying her reputation as a leading talent. Acting opposite Nicholas Hoult, she carried the series with charisma and confidence, proving her ability to anchor a major production.

“I will say, the show that I did, The Great—I really felt like I broke out of that mold a little bit,” Fanning said to Los Angeles Times this year. “I had done so many things, but people probably knew me most for Maleficent but it was then fun to be in The Great and I’m playing an empress, but she’s not the Disney version. I felt like I came into my own a little bit, and so just to find those meaty roles—but they don’t always come along.”

If that isn’t enough, the hard-working actress launched an exciting project alongside her sister, Dakota, at the end of 2021. The Fanning sisters together announced their own production company, Lewellen Pictures (named, adorably, after their family dog.) Focused on developing feature films, TV and podcasts, the girls tried their hand at producing The Great until its final episode. Their upcoming projects include the film adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s bestselling The Nightingale, with Reese Witherspoon.

The Great went on to win a raft of awards, with Fanning being awarded a Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series and Best Actress at the Seoul Drama Awards. Over its three seasons, ending in 2023, Elle was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, three Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

During the 2024 PlayStation State of Play, acclaimed video game designer, director and writer, Hideo Kojima announced (in a 10-minute trailer), his next project, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. A sequel to his widely-acclaimed action-adventure video game, Death Stranding, the story follows courier Sam Porter Bridges, as he traverses across a barren America after a cataclysmic event.
In the trailer, it was announced that Elle Fanning would step into the enigmatic world of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach with a role that has sparked widespread intrigue. Fanning’s character—named Tomorrow—appears central to the game’s evolving narrative about connection, isolation, and humanity’s fragile future.

‘It’s all mocap [motion capture],’ she told Josh Horowitz on Happy Sad Confused. ‘I worked with the same people who did Avatar, all those guys […] When I signed up for it, I wasn’t sure what it would entail, like ‘true acting in scenes’ and stuff. There are emotional scenes, and Hideo would be like, ‘okay…now you cry’ and I’m standing there all “Oh my God!” and I had to get in the mood quick, in full mocap suit.’ Fanning also sang beautifully on the soundtrack too, alongside French composer and singer-songwriter, Woodkid.

In 2024, as Elle was wrapping the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown, alongside Timothée Chalamet, in which she played Sylvie Russo, Fanning was signed to play lead Thia in the multi-million dollar action movie, Predator: Badlands. The seventh instalment in the Predator franchise, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, filming was set to start in New Zealand when she was offered a part in Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value.

In true Elle Fanning-fashion, she took the bull by the horns and decided to do both of them. What would seem to many as being a logistical nightmare, Fanning was able to fly to Oslo for a week and then hightail it down to Aotearoa for Predator, and then fly straight back to Oslo to film Sentimental Value.

It was her role in Sentimental Value, in which she played Rachel Kemp, a famous American actor who accepts a part in a Norwegian film, that she earned her first ever Oscar nod, being nominated for this year’s Best Supporting Actress.

‘What an honour to have my first Academy Award nomination be for a film that acknowledges the power of moviemaking and family,’ she posted on Instagram when she heard the news. ‘My Mom, Grandma, Sister, and Aunt were here with me this morning to scream and hug and cry. Thank you, thank you, thank you!’

Elle Fanning’s career is still unfolding, but several patterns are already clear. She represents a generation of actors who grew up inside the entertainment industry yet managed to retain a sense of artistic independence. Next up for her are plans to star in the Apple TV series, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, play Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and really sink her teeth into The Nightingale with her sister, Dakota. And there’ll be more runway shows, surely, and charity work too. Unlike the traditional child-star narrative that often leads to burnout or reinvention, Fanning’s path has been marked by continuity and evolution. With each project, Elle Fanning redefines expectations, proving that her career is not just enduring—it’s only just beginning.