Throughout her more than 20 years career, Dakota Fanning has collaborated with numerous esteemed Hollywood actors. Fanning opened up about her experiences working with such actors as Denzel Washington and Robert Pattinson. Among the many anecdotes she shared, one of the most heartwarming was about her time working with Tom Cruise in 2005’s War of the Worlds.
Tom Cruise gifted Dakota Fanning her first cell phone.
Fanning revealed that Cruise, whom she considers a lifelong friend, has been sending her a birthday gift every year since 2005. In a recent interview for Harper’s Bazaar Fanning shared that her first mobile phone came as a present from Tom Cruise. The actress revealed that her co-star in War of the Worlds gave her a Motorola Razr for her 11th birthday.
“Oh, my God, I was so excited,” she recalled this moment. However, Fanning admitted it might not have been the most practical gift, confessing that she didn’t have anybody to call or text at that time. “You know, I was 11,” she quipped, before adding, “But I loved having it. I loved it. I felt so cool.”
And the gifts didn’t stop at the iconic flip phone.
When Fanning joined Andy Cohen on the engaging show, Watch What Happens Live, she fondly revealed that Cruise didn’t stop his funny tradition. “He has sent me a birthday gift every year since I was 11 years old,” she disclosed, “Beautiful gifts.”
Now, more than a decade later, Fanning sometimes wonders if it will stop. “I always think, ’Oh, when I’m 18, he’ll probably stop. Oh, 21, he’ll stop.’ But every year. It’s really kind.”
Of course, Cohen asked Fanning to divulge what these “beautiful gifts” were, and surprisingly enough, the answer was fairly sensible, with Fanning revealing that “It’s usually shoes.”
It was not the only gift Dakota received from a Hollywood celebrity.
Dakota Fanning shared memories about a gift she got from her Dreamer co-star Kurt Russell. “Kurt Russell gave me a horse,” she said.
Reflecting on her experiences working with big names like Cruise and Russell since childhood, she mentioned that she didn’t feel intimidated, “Because I grew up familiar with being around people who would be considered ’intimidating’ kind of, I think it might’ve numbed that side of me a little. When you’re 8 years old, you’re sort of just getting to know a person as a person and not thinking about all of the other stuff, you know?”
Fans urge Tom Cruise to get anti-aging procedures, as he is deemed unrecognizable at 61. Click here to see photos.
18 Child Actors Who Are All Grown Up Now, and We Didn’t Even Notice It (New Pics)
It seems that some of the films and TV series we loved as children are now decades old. Think of The NeverEnding Story, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, or even Baywatch. And of course, the young actors that played child roles in these have grown up significantly. For example, Jonathan Lipnicki, the child star of Jerry Maguire, is already 30 years old, and Noah Hathaway, who is remembered for his performance as Atreyu in The NeverEnding Story, will turn 50 in November 2021. Even Georgie Henley, aka Lucy in The Chronicles of Narnia is now 25!
Bright Side did some research to find out what 18 child actors from the ’90s and the beginning of the ’00s look like today, and here’s what we found.
1. Jeremy Dunn Jackson (Hobie Buchannon), Baywatch (1991-1999)
2. Jonathan Lipnicki (Ray Boyd), Jerry Maguire (1996)
3. Daryl Sabara (Juni Cortez), Spy Kids (2001)
4. Taylor Lautner (Sharkboy), The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D (2005)
5. Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
6. Matthew Lawrence (Chris Hillard), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
7. Lisa Jakub (Lydia Hillard), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
8. Noah Hathaway (Atreyu), The NeverEnding Story (1984)
9. Nicholle Tom (Ryce), Beethoven (1992)
10. Giorgio Cantarini (Giosué), Life Is Beautiful (1997)
11. Anna Chlumsky (Vada Sultenfuss), My Girl (1991)
12. Patrick Renna (Hamilton “Ham” Porter), The Sandlot (1993)
13. Ivyann Schwan (Trixie Young), Problem Child 2 (1991)
14. Madison Lintz (Sophia Peletier), The Walking Dead (2010-2012)
15. Mackenzie Foy (Renesmee), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1 and Part 2 (2011-2012)
16. Alexa PenaVega (Carmen Cortez), Spy Kids (2001)
17. Edward Furlong (John Connor), Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
18. Raven-Symoné (Olivia Kendall), The Cosby Show (1989-1992)
Which of the series or movies listed above is your favorite? Which of the actors do you think has changed the most? Is there anybody else you think we should add to this list?
Preview photo credit The NeverEnding Story / Warner Bros. and co-producers, noahhathaway*** / Instagram
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