Dakota Fanning Details Being Asked “Super Inappropriate Questions” as a Child Star

Dakota Fanning is reflecting on her time as a child star.

The 30-year-old, who began her career at the age of 6, recently opened up about her experience growing up in the movie business, sharing that members of the media frequently crossed a line when interviewing her.

"I remember journalists asking me, 'How are you avoiding becoming a tabloid girl?' People would ask super-inappropriate questions," she told The Cut for a cover story published Oct. 1. "I was in an interview as a child and somebody asked, 'How could you possibly have any friends?' It’s like, huh?"

The Perfect Couple actress—whose sister, Elle Fanning, 26, was also a child star—went on to discuss the plights of other celebrities who similarly grew up in the spotlight, but whose careers or personal lives were more tumultuous than hers has been.

Dakota, whose breakout role was starring alongside Sean Penn in 2001's I Am Sam, said, "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?"

She also reflected on why she and her sister were able to avoid the pitfalls of child stardom that some of their peers went through.

"I don’t think that it’s necessarily connected a hundred percent to being in this business; there are other factors, too," Dakota explained. "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."

The Ripley star credited her mother, Hannah Joy Arrington, not only for raising her well and teaching her to have good manners, but also for physically being with her as she worked on movie sets as a minor.

"I have a mother who taught me how to treat other people and also how to treat myself," she shared. "And she was there every second. I was always treated with respect. It was never 'Bring the kid in! Get her out!' I wasn't working with people who treated me that way—I was being respected as an actor and as equal as you can be for that age."

As she's come of age and continued to work in Hollywood, Dakota felt as though some people have wanted her to be another "fallen child star," which the interviewer deemed "one of the tropes of the Hollywood fame machine."

"That's the thing," she agreed. "It's like, Is that what you want to happen to me somehow? Is that what you want to happen to these people? I've definitely felt this kind of vibe from people almost wanting me to fail or something."

She went on, "It makes you feel a little bit guarded. I'm just living my life over here. I think also I was just a little too young for it to fully hit me. So that was good."

The Uptown Girls actress expressed gratitude for the era in which she came of age in the movie business, positing that the industry had shifted away from some of its poor treatment of child stars by the time she started working.

"People couldn't get away with that kind of thing so much anymore," Dakota explained. "By the time I got to that age, it was sort of being recognized as probably not the best way to treat people."

Keep reading to look back on some of Dakota's best roles.

Dakota Fanning plays a nine-year-old who is kidnapped in this 2004 film. Originally, the movie was set in Italy, but it was later changed to Mexico City, as the director argued that the kidnapping rate in Italy was too low to be realistic.

In the last installment of the Twlight series, Dakota reprised her role as Jane, a member of the Volturi. The film grossed almost $830 million worldwide.

The 2017 film centers around a young woman with autism who is determined to win a Star Trek script writing contest. The comedy-drama performed well at film festivals, and was later released theatrically.

Dakota starred in this 2006 live-action adaptation of the 1952 children's novel of the same name. Charlotte, a spider, and Templeton, a rat, were two characters that were completely computer generated for the film.

The actress made her Twilight debut in the second film to the series. In perhaps her most sinister role yet, she plays Jane, a member of an elite group of vampires.

In the role that launched her career, seven-year-old Dakota played the daughter of a man with an intellectual disability, played by Sean Penn. For her performance, Dakota became the youngest actress ever nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

In this film produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, Dakota plays Lily, a girl who finds refuge from her abusive father with a group of caring women.

The American actress played a young woman fighting cancer in this British tear-jerker opposite Jeremy Irvine. For the film, Dakota learned to speak in an English accent.

The 2007 coming-of-age film follows a troubled teen in 1960s Alabama who finds solace from her difficult life through the music of Elvis Presley. The film was extremely controversial at Sundance Film Festival due to it's explicit portrayal of sexual assault.

Dakota teamed up with her Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart in this biographical drama about the formation of the rock group of the same name. The film was shot on Super-16, a medium commonly used in home movies, to give it a raw feel.

Brittany Murphy starred alongside Dakota in this 2003 film about an immature 22-year-old who is forced to grow up after becoming a nanny. After Brittany's death in 2009, Dakota shared that she is very grateful for getting to work with the actress.

The second feature length Dr. Seuss adaptation features Mike Meyers as the Cat in the Hat. For the Seuss-like effect, 24 houses were constructed in Simi Valley, Ca. Due to the smog in the area, the sky was digitally replaced with a cartoon version.

The 2014 coming-of-age film stars Dakota and Elizabeth Olsen as two best friends spending their last New York summer together. The director stated that she intended to make a movie that accurately portrayed teenagers of today.

Dakota played Tom Cruise's daughter in this 2005 disaster flick. This Steven Spielberg film was a critical and box-office success, grossing over $591 million.

The actress took on the titular role in this animated film. The movie is notable for being darker than many other animated pictures, and has attained cult status since it's 2009 release.

In the third film of the popular series, Dakota's character of Jane is evil as ever. Dakota stated that it was fascinating playing the role of someone who finds joy in hurting others.