Dakota Fanning recently opened up about how society’s preconceived notions affected her. Fanning has been a popular child artist who made her red carpet appearance in 2001 for the premiere of Sean Penn’s movie, “I Am Sam.” The actor has been working in the industry since then, and recently starred in the mystery thriller “All Her Fault.” While discussing her latest work in an interview, she also talked about navigating society’s “heavy narrative” about her.
Dakota Fanning shares what helps navigate society’s notions of her
Dakota Fanning has been a part of Hollywood for a long time, having started her career as a child actor. People have watched her grow and thus, seemingly constructed preconceived notions about her. Speaking about the same in an interview with Byrdie, the 31-year-old highlighted a few adjectives and phrases that the media described her as. She said that headlines often labeled her as “precocious” and “wise beyond her years.”
Although the “Man on Fire” actor understood that they meant well, she struggled with the weight of societal notions as she explored her adulthood. “I know it’s not a bad thing, but it felt so heavy and negative to me,” Fanning explained. The expectations sometimes annoyed her because she was also “learning” about herself, the Golden Globe nominee revealed.
“I’m not going to be perfect all the time. I’m not going to make the ‘wise beyond your years’ choice at every step,” the actor let her thoughts out. She highlighted that she had to work through all these narratives that people “placed” on her.
Furthermore, the “Watchers” star mentioned that she has been fortunate as the bombshell is “good at compartmentalizing.” “I’ve always had a strong sense of myself and a healthy ability to block out what feels untrue or too heavy.”
According to the outlet, Dakota Fanning was self-aware, which gave her more clarity about her life. The “War of the Worlds” actor also discussed having children and how she has decided to explore new things in her 30s.
