The Emmy-nominated star of The Great talks growing up on-screen and her deep love of Paris Hilton.

For W’s third annual TV Portfolio, we asked 21 sought-after names in television to pay homage to their favorite small screen characters by stepping into their shoes.

At just 24 years old, Elle Fanning has had a career that would strike envy in the hearts of even the most seasoned actors. Her film credits boast a who’s who of top directors, among them David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), J.J. Abrams (Super 8), Mike Mills (20th Century Women), and Sofia Coppola (Somewhere and The Beguiled). Now, Fanning is conquering television with her Emmy-nominated turn as The Great’s Catherine the Great—a part created by The Favourite’s cowriter Tony McNamara and Fanning’s first leading role on TV. Determined not to be typecast, Fanning followed up the second season of the dark comedy with The Girl From Plainville, Hulu’s limited series in which she transformed into Michelle Carter, the real-life teenager at the center of the texting-suicide case of Conrad Roy. “With each project, I have to go from one drastic thing to the next,” she says. “I want people to expect the unexpected from me, in the words of Big Brother.” It’s an approach that’s proven to be particularly fruitful—so much so, it’s almost easy to forget that she got her start as a toddler, playing a younger version of her sister Dakota’s character in 2001’s I Am Sam. Here, she discusses coming of age on-screen and her respect for one of reality TV’s most iconic duos.

Your sister introduced you to The Simple Life, right?

Right, though every two years or so, I’ll watch the show again. I love Nicole Richie. I love Paris Hilton. I’ve gotten to meet Paris a couple times, and she is the nicest and coolest. It was so fascinating hearing in Paris’s documentary how she put on this persona for the reality show. It’s quite clever. My sister and I would watch it and act out the scenes. I would normally be Nicole Richie, and she would be Paris. We would say “That’s hot” and “Loves it.” Finally, I get to dress up as Paris and have the dog, because Dakota always had the Chihuahua

You’ve been working for over two decades now. Have you ever felt boxed in by the child actor label?

It’s maybe not so much about the child actor label. As an actor in general, no matter what age, people want to put you in a box and describe the types of roles you should be doing or what you’re capable of. That can be hard when you’re a child, because you haven’t learned your limitations yet. But that really fueled my fire, because I would always try to make the daring choice, to challenge myself and really push the boundaries. Like with The Great and The Girl From Plainville, I had two weeks between those shows, and they are polar opposites. It was such a challenge, going from one set that’s a satire comedy to this very raw, real-life-drama, true-crime story.
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TriStar’s “The Nightingale,” starring Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, was pushed another year and will now be released on December 23, 2022, Sony announced on Friday.

“The Nightingale,” which was in preproduction before worldwide film shoots halted last March, was initially due to be released on Christmas Day 2020. It was then pushed and was scheduled to be released this year on December 22.

In December 2019, TheWrap exclusively reported that Mélanie Laurent (“Galveston”) would direct the period drama from a script by Dana Stevens. Elizabeth Cantillon was to produce through her production company The Cantillon Company. Based on Kristin Hannah’s worldwide best-seller of the same name, “Nightingale” marks the first time the Fannings will play sisters on screen.

“The Nightingale” follows two sisters coming of age in France on the eve of World War II and their struggle to survive the German occupation of France. The story is inspired by the courageous women of the French Resistance who helped downed Allied airmen escape Nazi-occupied territory and hid Jewish children.

Hannah’s book became a hit after it was published in 2015. It has since been published in 45 languages and sold more than 3.5 million copies in the U.S. alone. It has become No. 1 New York Times best-seller and spent a total of 114 weeks on the New York Times Bestsellers List. It was also named the best book of the year by BuzzFeed, iTunes, Library Journal, The Wall Street Journal, Goodreads and others. [Source]

I just want to say congrats to Elle Fanning for this great nomination and wishing her the best.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)

Elle Fanning (“The Great”)

Issa Rae (“Insecure”)

Jean Smart (“Hacks”)

[Source]

While Memorial Day Weekend is the kickoff to the summer season for many, it’s Cannes Film Festival for in-demand celebs. It’s the day after Elle Fanning’s Cannes red carpet debut, and she’s gushing: “Cannes is such a glamourous place, but it’s also on the beach, so during the day, I try to be very glowy; I want to stay fresh, and I like a dewiness to the skin.” The Great actress is on the go—right after Cannes, she is heading to Paris and then back to London to start filming Season three of The Great. Nevertheless, she takes 15 minutes from her beach day to talk with ELLE about her summer beauty routine, which era inspires her red carpet looks, and the key to kicking nail-biting.

For Elle Fanning, journeying to the South of France means it’s time to kick up her sun protection. “My summer beauty must-have is sunscreen because I’m the palest person ever,” she laughs. Low-maintenance beauty looks are in, focusing on skin, which is in alignment with the beauty looks Fanning loves. Fanning likes to keep her off-duty routine simple when not on the red carpet simple: “I always have a concealer; L’Oreal has this kind of crayon, True Match Concealer. It’s like, the lightest one, but it’s so perfect,” she reveals. Like many fans of the affordable product, Fanning raves about the formula—“It goes on easily. I love it. That’s always in my bag.” In addition to concealer, Fanning loves blush. “That is my number one,” she states regarding her “must-haves”—“I want to look like I have rosy cheeks,” she explains.

However, when it’s time to turn up the glam, Fanning isn’t afraid to go bolder and looks to Old Hollywood to show her the way. “I have always loved [Marilyn Monroe]—Grace Kelly [too],” she shares, which is no surprise, as it’s public knowledge of Fanning’s love for vintage clothing. Her style choices are reminiscent of the era. The star was spotted wearing Lapima’s Julieta sunglasses in black days before. The chic cat-eye frame paid homage to an age she loves. “The 50s-60s are my favorite beauty era regarding makeup. I think it’s glamorous and sexy for a woman,” she coos. She’s a fan of the cat-eye, originating in ancient Egypt and popularized in the United States in the 1950s. “I think it really can make you stand out, but I’m not doing it myself,” exclaims Fanning before adding, “Oh God, I can do one [eye], I just can’t do the other one!”
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