The one movie Dakota Fanning couldn’t live without: “There’s just something about it”
Dakota Fanning, now 31, began her Hollywood career at an early age as a child actor. Her breakout role in the 2001 film, I Am Sam, saw her play the daughter of a man with special needs, played by Sean Penn, who fights for custody of his daughter when her mother abandons them.
Fanning was only seven at the time when she became the youngest nominee in SAG Awards history when she won ‘Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role’ for her role in I Am Sam, with the film itself also garnering widespread critical acclaim.
The actor has since gone on to star in films like Now is Good, The Twilight Saga, Ocean’s 8 and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but she’s most well-known for her starring roles as a child actor in films like Dreamer and Charlotte’s Web.
Hence, it’s no surprise that Fanning’s number one film, 1993’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, also stars a huge Hollywood actor in his breakthrough role as a teen. Leonardo DiCaprio, who was also working on This Boy’s Life alongside Robert De Niro at the time, plays Arnie in the critically acclaimed film from Swedish director Lasse Hallström.
The movie, based on the 1991 novel by Peter Hedges, who also wrote the screenplay, follows the life of Gilbert, played by Johnny Depp. Gilbert is caught between his love for a woman in his town, his responsibilities towards Arnie, his brother with an intellectual disability, and Bonnie, his morbidly obese mother. Hedges said the story was inspired by his own experiences growing up in Iowa.
DiCaprio, who was only 18 at the time of filming, was praised for his tender and subtle portrayal of Arnie, garnering widespread recognition as an actor and a nomination for an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for ‘Best Actor in a Supporting Role’, solidifying his status as a rising star.
The film became an instant classic, tugging at the heartstrings of many and drawing praise for its emotional realism and depth, depicting small-town life in America, family dysfunction and emotional burdens, and nuanced direction from Hallström, who also made Chocolat, with recurring star Johnny Depp.
It was also a first for many of the actors, including Darline Cates, who plays Bonnie, who had also never acted before, and a young Johnny Depp, whose performance as Arnie’s older brother was praised for its restraint and authenticity. At the time, Depp had just landed his breakout role in Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands, which would go on to cement a long-term partnership with the director.
For Dakota Fanning, “There’s just something about it [What’s Eating Gilbert Grape]” that she can “just watch it over and over again”, a sentiment shared by many film buffs who see the film as a true timeless classic.
Interestingly, I Am Sam is also her favourite movie from her own filmography, reflecting parallels with her nostalgia for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and the poignancy of young stars in their breakout roles, leaving a mark.
