"Elle Fanning"

Elle Fanning joins hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett on SmartLess for a relaxed conversation about her path from child actor to acclaimed performer and producer, touching on family influences, career choices, and balancing work with life.

Family Roots and Acting Origins

Fanning was born outside Atlanta during a tornado warning, with her four-years-older sister Dakota asleep on a cot in the delivery room. Their parents were athletes—dad a pro baseball player, mom a college tennis player with an NFL quarterback father—expecting the girls to pursue sports. But fair-skinned Dakota sunburned easily on the court, shifting focus. Observing Dakota's elaborate play with dolls (reenacting births from TLC's "A Baby Story," using Fanning as the baby emerging from a beanbag), their mom enrolled her in a Georgia play camp. Dakota lit up in a production called Bluefish, leading to an agent, commercials, and a move to LA on their aunt's couch (an NFL sideline reporter).

Fanning tagged along from age two, appearing uncredited as young Dakota in I Am Sam (handed to Sean Penn on a swing) and Cat in the Hat. She describes herself as a "Nepo sister," copying Dakota's auditions and set visits, drawn to dressing up and traveling.