"Inappropriate questions"

Fanning on Hollywood’s dark side for children

Dakota Fanning had disturbing experiences as a child star.(Bild: Christina DeOrtentiis / Everett Collection)

Actress Dakota Fanning speaks openly about how she was often confronted with inappropriate questions as a young child star. For her, this is one of the dark sides of Hollywood.

The actress, who rose to fame at the age of six with her role in "I Am Sam" (2001) and was at times considered one of Hollywood's most sought-after young talents, described her experiences in an interview with "The Cut" magazine.

Indiscreet questions
Fanning said that she went through a disturbing phase at a young age when, despite her tender age, she often received indiscreet questions from journalists about her life in the spotlight. "I remember journalists asking me as a child: 'How are you going to stop yourself from becoming a tabloid girl?" she reports. "People asked me really inappropriate questions. In one interview, someone asked me: 'How can you even have friends?' I just thought to myself: 'What are you doing?"

Largely protected
Despite the challenges, Dakota describes her childhood as largely sheltered. Compared to other former child stars who were less able to cope with the pressures of public life, she shows great compassion. "I have a lot of sympathy for people who have been turned into negative role models by society and the media. Without that influence, who knows what they could have become," she adds.

Fanning recently starred in the mini-series "A New Summer" - original title "The Perfect Couple" - alongside Nicole Kidman and can be seen in the Netflix series "Ripley".