Anecdotes

When she received the Best Young Actor/Actress award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association for her performance in Je suis Sam (2001), she was too short to reach the microphone to give her acceptance speech. Presenter Orlando Bloom held her up to the mike for the duration of her speech, which turned out to be quite long.

Started recording the voice of Coraline (2009) when she was just 10 years old, but this movie was not released until she was fourteen, almost fifteen.

Loves to knit and has knitted scarfs for Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and Tim Robbins.

For the 'sad' scenes in Je suis Sam (2001), she thought of her pet goldfish, Flounder, dying.

On her 10th birthday, Robert De Niro gave her a doll that looked like Dakota's character in Cache-cache (2005), with the brown hair and blue eyes.

Her father named her Dakota, her mother named her Hannah. She then was named Hannah Dakota Fanning.

After filming Le rêveur: Inspiré d'une histoire vraie (2005), Kurt Russell, who plays her father, bought her a palomino horse, whom she named Goldie. Goldie lives on a ranch near Dakota's home where she can visit him often.

She began her acting career at the age of five when she was picked for a Tide detergent commercial.

For Dakota's 16th birthday, Cherie Currie (who Dakota portrayed in the movie The Runaways (2010)) gave her a custom made guitar.

She chose her costumes and looks in Push: La division (2009). Some of the clothes were actually her own.

Her scene in Nine Lives (2005) was done in just one take. She was only required to work on this movie for one day.

At the age of eight, she became the youngest person to be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award - for her supporting acting in the movie Je suis Sam (2001).

Looks up to Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank, "not just because they're great actresses, but because they are amazing people".

Her favorite movie, which made her cry, is Qui est Gilbert Grape? (1993).

Has mentioned in numerous interviews that she would love to work with her sister, Elle Fanning.

Plays the piano and the violin, knits, collects dolls, ride horses and dances ballet.

For her, the hardest thing at the end of a movie is saying goodbye to the cast.

She was friends with her late Les petites bourgeoises (2003) co-star Brittany Murphy.

Is learning to speak French. She also learned to speak some Spanish for her role in L'homme en feu (2004).

Her favorite scary movie as a child was Le magicien d'Oz (1939).

Her first word was "Momo", which was the family cat's name.

While she was filming L'homme en feu (2004) in Mexico, her sister Elle Fanning was filming La Trappe dans le plancher (2004), so their parents had to go to and from their daughters' destinations.

She was a cheerleader and was voted homecoming queen in high school.

Often wears pieces from the "Elizabeth and James" clothing line, designed by Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen.

On her eleventh birthday, her La guerre des mondes (2005) co-star Tom Cruise gave her her very first a cell phone, a Motorola Razor.

Because of rape scenes that she was involved in, her movie Hounddog (2007) was banned in many cities.

Dakota was schooled at home and on sets by her tutor, but she joined high school in her freshman year.

She was the youngest member of the "Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences", which admitted her in 2006.

Her favorite films include Autant en emporte le vent (1939), Passions tourmentées (1989) and Titanic (1997).

Has said she would love to be a director.

Dakota began attending New York University in 2011 intermittently, as her schedule allowed. It inspired her sister Elle Fanning to attend college. Dakota graduated in 2018.

She helped in raising 2,206 toys for the Less Fortunate Kids as part of the 2005 Toy Mountain Campaign with Rocky Stone. (décembre 2005)

She graduated with honors from North Hollywood's Campbell Hall Episcopal High School on June 6, 2011.

Carried a book of baby names with her wherever she went as a child.

She donated many signed items to Rocky Stone to be given away as prizes in a Dakota Fanning Contest to benefit less fortunate kids as part of the Toy Mountain Campaign 2005 and Toy Mountain Campaign 2006.

She became close friends with Tom Cruise after working with him on La guerre des mondes (2005).

Her favorite book is "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White, and her favorite book series are "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling, "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Daniel Handler, and "Nancy Drew" by Mildred Wirt Benson.

Missed the premiere of Lilo et Stich 2: Stitch fait clic (2005) to go to Mexico while her sister Elle Fanning filmed Babel (2006).

Announced that she would begin her first semester of college at New York University in fall 2011. (juin 2011)

During filming of La guerre des mondes (2005), Tom Cruise gave her an iPod.

Ranked number 19 along with her sister, Elle Fanning, on Entertainment Weekly magazine's "30 Under 30" actress list in 2008.

Is a member of the Girl Scouts USA, and her sister Elle Fanning is a Brownie.

Has been in three productions with her sister Elle Fanning, yet they have never shared scenes. Elle played the younger version of Dakota's characters in Je suis Sam (2001) and Taken (2002), and the two girls voiced sisters in a dub for Mon voisin Totoro (1988).

She learned to read a little at the age of two.

Fanning is an Anglicised form of the Gaelic Fionn, meaning "fair", and may have Norman roots from the Viking invasion of northern France. Her mother's maiden name Arrington has links to the east of England, notably Cambridgeshire.

She had not read all of the books from the Twilight series by the writer Stephenie Meyer before she got hired for the cast of the movie Twilight: Tentation (2009), but she wanted to take the role because she loved the cast and the script.

Blue Valentine: une histoire d'amour (2010) is one of her favorite movies and it inspired her to do more indie films.

Dakota is a huge fan of Hello Kitty, and she states that she has gotten into it more now she has gotten older.

Was a member of the Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet for one year.

A doll was made of her (as her character Cale Crane) for the movie Le rêveur: Inspiré d'une histoire vraie (2005).