Elle Fanning Talks Sentimental Value and the Art of (Sort of) Playing Herself

Like countless viewers of The Worst Person in the World, Joachim Trier’s 2021 Oscar-nominated film, Elle Fanning was obsessed. So when she learned that the Danish-Norwegian director was considering her for his follow-up, Sentimental Value, she didn’t hesitate. “I would’ve said yes to Joachim, even if it was just one tiny little line,” the 27-year-old says. She got far more than that: In the quietly devastating family drama, Fanning plays Rachel, a young American actor swept into a fraught emotional triangle when an acclaimed filmmaker, Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård), casts her in a role written for his estranged daughter (portrayed by Trier regular Renate Reinsve). A thoughtful meditation on autobiography and art, the critically adored film earned eight Golden Globe nominations, including a best supporting actress nod for Fanning for her nuanced, meta performance.

In the film, you play a famous American actor who accepts a part in a Norwegian film. You, in fact, filmed this role in Oslo. What did you think of the city?

Yes, I was an American actress coming to Norway for the first time, much like my character. There were a lot of layers going on. I loved it there. It’s very clean, and everyone is riding around on their bikes. I kind of fit right in there. A lot of people would come up to me and start speaking Norwegian. Sometimes I would try to fake it.

There are a lot of true-to-your-life scenes in the film. For example, your character is first seen at a film festival.

We filmed that in Deauville while the Deauville Film Festival was happening. I could definitely relate because I've been to Deauville and I've been to Cannes a lot of times. There was one party in Cannes that was basically my prom night. I was dancing barefoot, and there was broken glass everywhere. My manager loves to say she couldn’t believe her eyes, because I was maneuvering around the glass barefoot on the dance floor. I didn’t get one cut.

You also once fainted at Cannes.

Yes, my dress was too tight. My sister was sitting at another table, and she saw my chair just completely fall back. It’s kind of hilarious—very dramatic. Colin Firth was there, and he rushed to my side. It was the talk of the festival. But I’m known to faint. In school, I would faint a lot. I grew, like, seven inches in one year, and I guess my body was growing so much that I got altitude sickness.

In the movie, your character, Rachel, has a crisis over whether she can play a part. Have you ever found yourself in that situation?

I’ve never walked away from a part. I've said no to things because they didn't feel right. Or, if there are two female parts and I’m offered one, I’ve been like, “But I like the other one better. Can I do that one?” But Rachel is a bit less confident than me. Her confidence grows throughout the film because Gustav awakens a talent in her that she knows is there.

Do you get starstruck?

I do get starstruck. The last time was embarrassing. I made a fool of myself. I was at the Met Ball a couple of years ago. I saw Cardi B, and I was just like, Wow. I got up, but I had huge shoes on, so I toppled over and fell. Cardi B saw this giant woman in her periphery just go down. She looked over and said, “Are you okay?”

For this W shoot, Tyrone Lebon, our photographer, asked you to dress up as a nurse.

I was in full-on candy striper mode. Tyrone told me that my character was posing as a nurse to poison a babysitter she had had in the past. He wanted my eyes to look as crazed as possible when I leaned into the camera.

Have you ever lied to get a part? Like, said you can ride a horse when you can’t?

Kurt Russell gave Dakota [Fanning, Elle’s sister] a horse when she did Dreamer. Goldie is still our horse. He's older now, but I did grow up riding horses a little bit. I can’t play guitar, but I can, wink-wink. I had to learn to play trumpet for a movie, Ginger & Rosa, but then they cut the scene. So I can't really play the trumpet, but if someone asked me, I would say yes, because I had a couple of lessons.

Are you more like a cat or a dog?

I'm 100% a dog. I don't think I have any catlike qualities. Well, I am very independent, so I'm CatDog, like the cartoon.

What is the best piece of advice that your mother has given you?

I wrote it down in my notes app. I have so many crazy notes. One note just says “deodorant,” but mixed in with “deodorant” are great quotes from my mom. One says, “How you handle your disappointments is what defines you,” which I think makes a lot of sense, because especially in this business, you're going to be disappointed. People are going to tell you no, but the way you pick up your bootstraps, power on, and find that passion again, that's important.

What’s your favorite reality show?

I love reality competition shows. There’s one called On Brand with Jimmy Fallon. I devoured it. It's about marketing. People try to create the best ads for Pillsbury Doughboy or Dunkin' Donuts, and they compete to come up with the best commercial, the best tagline, things like that.

Do you have any fashion regrets?

I don’t live with regrets. That’s just not my style, but I did try bangs once. Faux bangs that you clip in. Being a blonde, it’s hard to match the color of my hair, and it just looked like a big toupee was on the top of my head. I won't be doing that again.

Did you like being brunette for the movie?

I liked it. It was the best wig I'd ever worn. I tricked so many people with it, but I truly am a blonde. I've dyed my hair brunette for a role in the past, and it was fine, but I’m always desperate to go back to blonde.

Style Director: Allia Alliata di Montereale. Codirector: Frank Lebon. Director of photography: André Chemetoff. Hair by Jawara for L’Oréal Professional at Art Partner; makeup by Lauren Parsons for Sisley Paris at Art Partner; manicure by Jolene Brodeur for Dazzle Dry at the Wall Group. Set design by David White at Streeters.