- Elle Fanning said she once lost a role because she was considered "unfuckable."
- The actress was up for a part in a father-daughter road trip comedy and was 16 at the time.
Elle Fanning said that when she was 16, she was told she lost a role in a film because she was "unfuckable."
Fanning shared the story as a part of The Hollywood Reporter's "Comedy Actress Roundtable," during a conversation with fellow actors Jenna Ortega, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Natasha Lyonne, Ayo Edebiri, and Devery Jacobs.
Fanning, Ortega, and Lyonne all began acting at a young age, and Lyonne and Fanning spoke about unsettling experiences with casting directors and producers.
Fanning said that while she had "an amazing manager and agent" who largely shielded her from inappropriate feedback, some of the comments still made their way through to her.
"I've never told this story, but I was trying out for a movie," Fanning said. "I didn't get it. I don't even think they ever made it, but it was a father-daughter road trip comedy. I didn't hear from my agents because they wouldn't tell me things like this — that filtration system is really important because there's probably a lot more damaging comments that they filtered — but this one got to me. I was 16 years old, and a person said, 'Oh, she didn't get the father-daughter road trip comedy because she's unfuckable.'"
When asked how it affected her, Fanning said, "I don't feel like it damaged me, but it definitely made me very aware of myself."
But both Fanning and Lyonne admitted that growing up in the public eye could be unsettling at times, and Lyonne — who had admittedly less-than-present parents — shared that she was asked to do inappropriate things in auditions.
"I remember auditioning for 'Lolita,' the [1997] remake, when I was 14 or 15, and it was like, 'Can you eat this banana slowly?'" Lyonne recalled.
"I was already a bit of a tough guy, so I was like, 'So you mean eat the banana slowly?'" she said. "But it's sick. Ultimately, it seems like your question is one about stepping into autonomy — and certainly being able to find a measure of autonomy, that's the blessing of having some success. You can be a little more selective and wise about what you're stepping into."