Dakota Fanning is the female lead in Netflix’s Ripley, a miniseries adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley. Of course, that was already adapted in a 1999 film starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Gwyneth Paltrow. Dakota plays the Gwyneth role, Marge, and Andrew Scott plays Tom Ripley in what appears to be a captivating performance. If I’m being honest, it sometimes feels like Dakota’s little sister Elle sort of eclipsed her at some point and nowadays, Elle is getting all of the big scripts and important roles. But Dakota works consistently and I’m interested in seeing what she does in this series. Dakota covers the latest issue of Porter, and here are some highlights:
Her big, blowout 30th-birthday party. “I’ve never had a party like it. I’ve had dinners, but this was… a party,” laughs Fanning, who took over the whole of hip Beverly Hills restaurant La Dolce Vita, hired an ice sculpture of legs “for fun”, and wore a red satin corseted Dolce&Gabbana dress. “I was destroyed on Saturday – from the biggest hangover I’ve had in years. But I was icing my head with a huge smile. The past few days, I have felt so light.”
Her 20s were not great: “I wouldn’t say I’m not a happy person, but I do think the late twenties f–k with you. I feel happier and more conscious of what I have, rather than what I don’t have. I know who I am, and the people who know me know who I am, and that’s really all that matters. But there is something about saying that at 30 that feels different to saying it at 28.”
Her 20-year-plus career: “I still have these check-ins with myself to make sure I’m enjoying it. If you can still find the light in moments that are tough, then you’re still enjoying it!”
Filming in Italy for nearly a year at the tailend of the pandemic: “I like being alone and I don’t mind getting acclimated to a place, but I felt really lonely in a specific way. I felt like I was trapped. I’m sure other people can relate… It wasn’t a unique experience, but I definitely went through a rollercoaster on this.” Having seen the results – the finished eight-part, black-and-white series – she has no regrets now. “I feel very rewarded and satisfied having seen the show; it all feels worth it. It’s so different to anything I’ve ever been in.”
On Andrew Scott: “I always hoped our paths would cross. He is so wickedly funny, warm and kind. He’s just a good person. And stunning, obviously. I worship him after working with him.”
She avoided the book & avoided talking to the 1999 film actors: Fanning deliberately steered clear of the 1955 book (“what you’re trying to achieve is what you’ve been given, which is, ultimately, the script”), and she, Scott and Johnny Flynn (who plays her partner Dickie) made a pact to have no contact with anyone who had played versions of their characters. “I was blissfully trying to not think about Gwyneth and her extraordinary beauty and grace!” laughs Fanning of the original, which became known as a stylish cinematic moment. “I’m a huge fan of the film, but it’s so different, I hesitate to even talk about it.”
On wanting children: “Being an actor is a huge part of my identity. I don’t really know who I would be without it. But I also have a desire to set up my life and career so that I always have a choice. Having kids is probably more important to me than anything, even being an actor. If somebody said I had to choose, I would choose having kids. I’m one of those people who has always felt that pull. I don’t know how I’ll feel when that time in my life comes – and how much I’ll want to work. But, because I don’t have that at the moment, I’m trying to take advantage of the adventures now. I’m trying to push myself to keep saying yes to things that make me uncomfortable, to keep going to places for long periods of time that maybe I’m scared to do because – God willing – one day, it won’t be as easy.”
I love that she threw herself a huge birthday party and really got ripped and started her 30s with a bang. Good for her. Over the years, I’ve noticed that trend among Millennial and older Gen Z women – their 20s always f–king suck. Like, they’re just weighed down with emotional baggage, sh-tty relationships, self-doubt and neuroses, and then they enter their 30s and it’s like they leave all of it behind. It’s a weird little sub-phenomenon, and I’m not saying it’s universal, but a lot of women (famous and unfamous) have described it that way.
As for the film versus the series… my first thought, months ago, was “why does this need another adaptation?” But Andrew Scott is the reason why it needed to be adapted again, because we need to see him as Tom Ripley. But I can’t imagine trying to “redo” one of Gwyneth’s most iconic roles, frankly. Like, I think Gwyneth is an a–hole, but she killed it in Ripley, it was one of her best roles.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Porter/net-a-porter.