Elle Fanning has revealed that she was once rejected from a role because her fan base wasn’t big enough.
The actress started out in Hollywood when she was just three years old, and often appeared alongside her older sister, Dakota Fanning.
Since then, the 25-year-old has gone on to command the screen in Super 8, the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Maleficent.
However, despite being an industry favorite, she revealed that one part slipped out of her grasp because of the size of her Instagram following.
‘I didn’t get a part once for something big,’ she said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, without naming the project in question.
‘It might not have just been this reason, but this was the feedback that I heard – it was because I didn’t have enough Instagram followers at the time.
‘That was a little like… That I firmly don’t believe in, ever not getting a part. It was for a bigger thing, a franchise-y thing.
‘I would not say no to those things, but I would have to have a meeting and really talk and see what it is.’
At the time of writing, Elle boasts a whopping 6.2million followers – which is definitely not to be sniffed at – and shares a mix of photos from film sets, stunning red carpet looks and fun glimpses into her private life.
Since 2020, the actress has starred in the Great as the titular character Catherine II, otherwise known as Catherine the Great.
In reality, the historical figure came into power after overthrowing her husband, Peter III – played by Nicholas Hoult – and was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796.
Elle has landed a string of award nominations for her performance, and recently opened up about how it felt to take on a pregnant character.
‘I was obsessed with it,’ she confessed to Harper’s Bazaar UK. ‘I had a bespoke bump with boobs molded onto me that went all the way up to my neck.
‘The costume team told me that this is pretty accurately what my body will look like when I’m pregnant… which did feel quite crazy.
‘I loved the way it looked. It made me want to do it, to be pregnant.’
We are living for her honesty.
