For most 10-year-olds, riding bikes and long division are the
most important things in the world.
But for fifth-grader Dakota Fanning, reading scripts and
memorizing lines is what occupies her time. A Hollywood actress,
Fanning co-stars alongside Denzel Washington in the action thriller
“Man on Fire,” about a hardened former assassin who
reluctantly takes a low-paying bodyguard job protecting a little
girl in Mexico City.
As the relationship between bodyguard Creasy (Washington) and
the girl, Pita (Fanning), grows, Creasy becomes unexpectedly fond
of her, forcing him to stop at nothing to protect her from a group
of highly organized kidnappers who hold Pita for a hefty
ransom.
According to director Tony Scott, the power of the relationship
between Fanning and Washington is what made it possible to do many
of the things that he wanted to do with the movie, such as making
it extremely violent. When Pita is kidnapped, Creasy releases a
fiery rage on anyone he suspects was involved, inspiring him to
kill in ways unimaginably tortuous. He cuts off a man’s
fingers one by one; he also sticks a low-grade bomb up another
guy’s behind.
“People got off on the fact that he started killing
because they had fallen in love with the (characters),” said
Scott. “Their relationship was so strong, and when that
relationship was taken away, the audience wants to see a full-on
commitment to doing whatever you have to do to get the bad
guy.”
For Fanning, who is currently missing one of her front teeth,
working with big-name celebrities is something she is becoming all
too familiar with. From Washington to Sean Penn (“I Am
Sam”) to Robert DeNiro (the upcoming psychological thriller
“Hide and Seek”), Fanning has managed to land roles as
the charmingly mature youngster alongside some of Hollywood’s
greatest talents. And that’s not to say it hasn’t been
deserved. According to Washington, as soon as they started filming
he was taken aback by Fanning’s talent.
“We did a scene, and on the very first take she sits up on
the bed and just looks at me,” Washington said. “And I
was like, “˜This little girl is looking through me.
She’s a little person; she must just be a little
person.'”
And while Washington might be the man on fire, that
doesn’t stop Fanning from bringing a little heat to the big
screen herself.
“Pita was a great character, and she’s so much like
me, always wanting to talk and ask questions,” Fanning said.
“That (maturity) was kind of just her character, because she
was always just wanting to know things and she was so smart because
she always likes to ask questions.”
For Scott, the decision to go with Fanning was a no-brainer. In
fact, he said that he was continually surprised by her
professionalism every day of the filming.
“Dakota was the only actor I saw (for the part),”
said Scott. “When I met her, I called her up and said,
“˜Do you want your agent to come with us to the
meeting?’ and she said “˜Nope, I want to do it
one-on-one.'”
And while Fanning might already seem like an old pro at the
business, that does not stop her from still being a kid. Her
favorite books are “The Giver” and “Bridge to
Terabithia,” and she says that whenever she gets the chance,
she enjoys learning how to knit.
Fanning, who has been acting since she was 6, says that being on
the road and away from her family is one of the most challenging
parts about being an actress. But having her mother and teacher on
the road with her is something she sees as fun, not as an
inconvenience.
“It’s not lonely when I’m on the road, and my
teacher makes it really fun for me,” she said.
“I’ve always had fun with what I do. So if I’m
able to do acting, I’m happy with everything.”