With "Dreamer," writer/director John Gatins set about to capture that same kind of heartwarming story. Starring Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning, Elisabeth Shue, Freddy Rodriguez, and Kris Kristofferson, "Dreamer" is the story of a little girl who wouldn't give up on a horse and how that horse in turn helps a family heal its own wounds.
Dakota Fanning on Her Attraction to “Dreamer:” “When I heard John [Gatins] talk about…he’s so passionate about the film and he really believes in it so much. It’s contagious. So I think when you have someone, the director, who really believes in the project as much as we all do now, it makes it really special. Now that Kurt and everyone and we all did it – we’re all so proud to be in it and so proud to be a part of it. And I think that’s one of the main reasons I did it.”
Dakota Fanning and Kurt Russell Share a Very Similar Background: Fanning’s “Dreamer” co-star Kurt Russell grew up onscreen. Did she pick his brain about life as a child actor? Dakota said, “You know, we talked a little bit about it. Mostly we just talked about stuff that would happen, you know what I mean? It’s like when you’re with someone that you really like to talk to – and we really liked to talk to each other – just things come up and you just start talking about them.”
Dakota Fanning on Learning to Ride for “Dreamer:” “I have a horse. Kurt gave me my horse. I love riding. I learned for like six weeks. I was training and I learned riding, about them, the horse equipment, racing. All different kinds of things. It was real exciting and really fun.
It was hard work but it was really fun for me because I was really interested in learned. I really wanted to know anyway, even if I wasn’t doing the movie. So I thought it was great. I knew it was really going to help me with the part.”
Fanning revealed her horse’s name is Goldie. “I have a Palomino, so he’s blonde, and so I named it partly because of Goldie [Hawn] and partly because of the color.”
Dakota Fanning on “Dreamer” Co-Star Kris Kristofferson: “He is so great. I just wish I got to work with him a little bit more. But we saw each other on the set a lot and we talked a whole bunch. He’s so sweet and such an amazing actor, and I’m so blessed that I got to work with him.”
On the Film’s Theme of Being Allowed to Fail Sometimes: “I think everybody is going to not get it sometimes. I think in this movie there’s that thing where you want her to get it so bad but you don’t think she’s going to. I think that’s so sweet, when Kurt and Elisabeth [Shue] are talking about it in the movie. That’s when I think, you know, Kurt and my relationship starts to change for the better, that he lets me try.
I really kind of connected with that. I mean, like it was so believable that Kurt would get the horse back and that he would give it to me. You know what I mean? I think that’s so real. I can’t imagine like my dad not giving the horse to me when I wanted it back so much. I think that’s so real. I thought that was really cool.”
What’s Up Next: “‘Charlotte’s Web’ comes out in June. And I’m not doing anything else right now. …I did it right after ‘War of the Worlds’ and it took four months. We did it in four months. It’s real animals and they just make their mouths move later.”
Fanning said there wasn’t anyone on set doing the animals’ lines. “No one because I don’t really interact with the pig that much. I just kind of hear all the animal conversations,” explained Fanning, adding “It’s one of the greatest books in the world.”
Dakota Fanning Facts:
-Fanning became interested in acting at age 5 1/2;
-Jodie Foster, Johnny Depp and Hilary Swank are actors Fanning really wants to work with;
-Fanning lists "Gone with the Wind" and "Titanic" as two of her favorite older movies;
-Despite appearing in dozens of movies, Fanning hasn't bought herself anything big and doesn't receive an allowance from her parents.
