Dakota and Elle Fanning appear together on the October cover of Vanity Fair and in a wide-ranging interview that addresses their early fame, sibling dynamics and a slate of new projects that bring the sisters together on screen and behind the camera.
Now 31 and 27, the sisters—who first shared the screen when Elle played a younger version of Dakota’s character in the 2001 film I Am Sam—said in the interview that despite long careers beginning in childhood they do not fit the familiar narrative of celebrity derailment. “Why aren’t they more…. ‘F---ed up?’” Elle asked, then laughed and added, “We’re like, ‘We’re so f---ed up. You don’t even know the half.’” Dakota said she and Elle “share a lot but we’re very different,” and that competition between them is “zero.”
The sisters described a protective, interdependent relationship that they say helped them navigate Hollywood as children and as adults. Dakota said she has changed with age and emphasized a family mentality: “When something good happens, it’s shared by all of us, because we’ve all helped each other get to where we are.” Elle credited Dakota’s early protectiveness, saying it shaped both of them. Michelle Pfeiffer, who worked with them on I Am Sam, told Vanity Fair that Elle was “just toddling around the set” and described the siblings’ personalities as complementary.
Both women are continuing active acting careers and expanding their roles as producers. Dakota is starring in the Peacock limited series All Her Fault, while Elle’s recent credits include Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value and the sci-fi blockbuster Predator: Badlands. The sisters said they will produce and star together for the first time in the feature The Nightingale, a project that will mark their first on-screen scenes together; Dakota said the siblings have “literally never done a scene together, ever.” They will produce the film alongside Reese Witherspoon.
The Fannings have also formed a production company, Lewellen Pictures. Through that company they are developing a Hulu true-crime docuseries due in September and are attached to a television adaptation of Paris Hilton’s memoir after A24 acquired adaptation rights in 2023. The sisters said they met with Hilton to discuss the project; Hilton told Vanity Fair that Dakota and Elle “understand both the cultural impact and the personal journey” behind her story.
The interview touches on personal matters only sparingly. The sisters’ parents, Joy and Steven Fanning, separated in 2016; Dakota declined to discuss the matter in depth, saying, “I don’t think we should go there.” Elle said the siblings know each other’s secrets and that the intimacy of that relationship is a source of comfort: “I relish the fact that I can protect her because she needs protection too.”
On relationships, Elle spoke about her partner, Rolling Stone executive chairman Gus Wenner, saying, “If your partner doesn’t post you on Instagram, that’s a red flag. I love my boyfriend, and we’re going to post each other. I’m so happy. And Dakota loves him. That’s the seal of approval.” Dakota described herself as single and joked about online dating: “I did it for fun. My girlfriend made it for me… I was like, if I don’t, then I’m going to think…” Elle interjected, “Maybe my husband is there.” Dakota responded, “I can confirm that he is not.”
The Vanity Fair feature follows a career arc in which both sisters have steadily moved from child performers to established actors and producers. Elle’s early appearances led to a diversified career that now includes mainstream blockbusters, while Dakota has continued to take on dramatic roles and television projects. By creating content together and separately, the sisters have signaled an intent to shape their careers on their own terms while maintaining the close personal and professional bond they described in the magazine interview.