Elle Fanning has been a fixture in Hollyood for years with her early start as a child actress. The younger sister of Dakota Fanning developed her acting chops across a number of roles early in her career.
But we first noticed her in a role she took at the age of 18 in a film that few people talk about these days. She starred opposite Timothée Chalamet in Woody Allen’s film “A Rainy Day in New York” (2019).
In the movie, she plays Ashleigh Enright, a wide-eyed college student and aspiring journalist who gets swept up in a whirlwind day of celebrity encounters in Manhattan opposite Timothée Chalamet. Her character gives off that Manic Pixie Dream Girl vibe that most men love.
The film became controversial after it was completed because of renewed attention on decades-old allegations against Woody Allen. As a result:Amazon Studios shelved the movie for nearly two years. Several actors (including Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, and Rebecca Hall) publicly donated their salaries to charity and expressed regret over participating. Elle Fanning has said little about that experience, saying in interviews that she was young and excited about the script.
Her performance was quite striking in that she basically created an updated version of Diane Keaton’s Annie Hall character, while Chalamet basically did a Woody Allen impression from his performances in “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan.” It was basically the bubbly beauty and the neurotic New Yorker . . . very much in Allen’s wheelhouse.
Elle Fanning was charming as hell in this role, and it helped that she also looked sexy and stunning (Yes, we loved the scene where she stripped down to her underwear!). She also leaned into a breathy, rapid-fire, slightly ditzy delivery in her voice and mannersism, with lots of “oh my gosh,” “that’s so crazy,” and wide-eyed wonder at everything New York throws at her. It’s the same giddy, slightly overwhelmed energy Keaton brought to “Annie Hall.” Allen was clearly having fun directing her and Chalamet in this slightly strange homage to his greatest hits.
Since then, we’ve been huge fans of Elle as she navigates Hollywood. See more posts about this lovely actress by checking out our Elle Fanning tag.
Notable Roles
“Predator: Badlands” (2025)
This is a raucously entertaining movie that truly understands how to fuel a cinematic experience with fun and wit.
