Elle Fanning says she was called ‘unf---able’ at 16 years old, a label that ultimately cost her a movie role.
"I was very protected," the actress, now 25, shared during a roundtable discussion hosted by The Hollywood Reporter, noting she has had the same team since she was 8 or 9 years old. "This is an interesting story that I was like, ‘I’ve never said this' but I'm like, ‘I’ll say it at the table, maybe!'… I was trying out for a movie. I didn’t get it. I don’t even think they ever made it, but it was a father-daughter road trip comedy," she began.
Fanning reveals that "someone involved with the project" had provided unfavorable feedback on her audition – information that was initially kept from her by management but ultimately disclosed by an "outside party."
"I was literally 16 years old and this person said, ‘Oh, she didn’t get the father-daughter road trip comedy because she’s unf---able.'"
"That filtration system is really important because there’s probably a lot more damaging comments that were said, that they filtered out – but this one got to me," she admitted.
"It's so disgusting," she added, acknowledging that there are plenty of examples of similar treatment within the industry.
"I laugh at it now, like, ‘What a disgusting pig!’"
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"It's funny thinking about myself at that age. I was always like, immensely confident.… But of course you’re growing up in the public eye," she shared.
Given her lengthy career in the industry, Fanning says she can remember looking at paparazzi photos of herself from when she was 12.
"Is that a good thing to see such a mirror of yourself at that age?" she questioned.
"I don’t feel like it damaged me, but it definitely made me very aware of myself."
Unlike other child actors, Fanning has had a prolific career, with 63 credits to her name, per IMDb. She currently has seven projects in the works, including the upcoming film about director Francis Ford Coppola, "Francis and the Godfather."
Fanning is the younger sister of fellow actress Dakota Fanning, 29.
