Dakota Fanning reveals she was asked lots of inappropriate questions when she was a child star
Everyone knows that child stars in Hollywood have it extremely rough. Indeed, former child actors such as Demi Lovato, JoJo Siwa, and Drew Barrymore have all spoken out about their uncomfortable experiences growing up in this industry. And now, the star of Netflix’s recent hit series The Perfect Couple Dakota Fanning is chiming in with her own unique perspective.
According to The Independent, Fanning—who starred in many films when she was a young child including Man on Fire with Denzel Washington and Uptown Girls with Brittany Murphy—revealed that she was asked a number of “inappropriate” questions when she was a child star and expressed “compassion” to others who had gone through the same experience.
The 30-year-old spoke in depth about this topic in an interview with The Cut. At one point in the conversation, Fanning recalled: “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. I was in an interview as a child and somebody asked, ‘How could you possibly have any friends?’ It’s like, Huh?”
Later on, specifically speaking about how important her family were in protecting her as a young professional, Fanning stated: “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? I don’t think that it’s necessarily connected a hundred percent to being in this business; there are other factors, too.”
The Coraline actor continued: “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. 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.”
Referencing global stars such as Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, Fanning also expressed real care and empathy for the child stars who have been made into “examples,” and suffered heavily at the hands of the industry. Amanda Bynes is also another child actor whose experiences within Hollywood have been described as incredibly toxic and inappropriate.
Child stars are one of the most vulnerable groups within the film and television industry. And while nowadays there is much better safeguarding to ensure the protection of working children, it’s pretty sobering to remind ourselves of the kind of creepy and inappropriate environments so many young people had to experience.
