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TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX - " Man on Fire " Movie
Interview with DAKOTA
FANNING
Q:
How did you approach this role?
FANNING:
Oh, I mean I loved being down in Mexico and I got
to work with some great actors and director Tony was
unbelievable and you know, everybody was great. The
writer, Brian, everything was just amazing about the
whole experience.
Q:
What was the most surprising thing for you in making
the “MAN ON FIRE”?
FANNING:
I mean I definitely just enjoyed every minute of being
there and doing the movie and everything, so, I mean,
just it was a great learning experience, you know,
being in Mexico and also I learned so much from the
directors and the actors and everything.
Q:
How was it with Denzel? In the film you give him a
new lease of life—
FANNING:
Yes. Right.
Q:
That’s not easy to do when you have only a week
of rehearsal, but how was it working with Denzel?
FANNING:
Oh, I mean, it was like a dream come true, you know,
I learned so much from just watching him, the way
he drove the car, you know what I mean? I just loved
observing and everything that he did and, you know,
he’s just one of the best actors in the entire
world.
Q:
How would you describe Pita?
FANNING:
Um, she’s a very smart girl and she just wants
to be friends with people, and she sees something
in Creasy and she really wants to change him and she
kind of gets a little bit lonely, you know, when her
mom and dad go away on business and stuff and so Creasy
kind of becomes a father figure for her.
Q:
Both characters are in the same spot, would you agree
with that? How do they help each other?
FANNING:
I think Pita definitely helps Creasy live life again
and be, you know, have fun with life. And I’d
say Creasy helps Pita just with everything, you know,
he’s kind of her parent in a way.
Q:
In the big kidnapping scene, my heart was in my throat.
FANNING:
Yeah.
Q:
It was really tough. How was that sequence to shoot?
FANNING:
Well, I mean I got I got really sad, you know, when
I saw Denzel, blood gushing out, I got sad and it
really like helped me, like the kidnappers, the actors,
everybody was good that it was it just really helped
me, you know, cause I got really scared and sad and
all these emotions.
Q:
Did Tony do anything special to help you along in
terms of getting that truthfulness out on screen?
FANNING:
No, I mean Tony is an unbelievable director, he’s
an artist with all his cameras and his neat shots
and everything. And he would have a camera under water,
swimming along with me and everything, he’s
an unbelievable person and we just got on the set
and he just kind of said “lets go” and
you know, we kind of did it and then we would add
stuff or drop stuff or change and he was very open
to that.
Q:
Would you say this was the most challenging thing
you’ve done so far?
FANNING:
I mean I just always I always have fun, you know,
so I don’t really look at it like that, I just
kind of think of having fun.
Q:
I think people want to know that you came out of this
okay, because I think any actor that has---
FANNING:
Okay! I’m alright. I’m here.
Q:
How was it learning Spanish? I was impressed with
your accent.
FANNING:
Oh, thank you.
Q:
What kind of preparation did you go through to get
into the feel for this?
FANNING:
Um, well I kind I was doing a lot of Spanish when
I was doing “CAT IN THE HAT”, and also
down in Mexico, so I did it for a very long time,
and I want to keep on taking.
Q:
You should, it’s like singing. It’s one
of the best languages to learn.
FANNING:
Yeah, yes.
Q:
Is that really you swimming in the film?
FANNING:
It was me. Tony thought it was very important that,
it really be me and really be real. And it was.
Q:
What does the title me to you?
FANNING:
Well, I mean “MAN OF FIRE”. Denzel’s
kind of, the man on fire he kind of wants to make
everything okay again, so he’s kind of the “MAN
ON FIRE” in terms of what he does. He’s
looking for redemption, you know, and so he just wants
everything to be like it was.
Q:
Being that Mexico City is one of the most Catholic
cities in the world, and the movie has a nice thread
of spirituality in it how did that come across to
you?
FANNING:
Yeah, I think it was, Denzel read the Bible a lot,
practically had it memorized, Mark was in that room
with all those, you know, statues and everything.
So yeah, I definitely know what you’re talking
about.
Q:
Did you learn something out of that? The environment
wasn’t something you were used to.
FANNING:
Yeah, I mean it definitely was, I mean it was it was,
Mexico City is different, than the United States and
I just learned so much about the Spanish culture and
everything about it, and it was a great learning experience
for me to be down there.
Q:
Was there ever a sense of fear?
FANNING:
Never. I never did. I mean, I loved being down there
and everything was fine for me, I just enjoyed being
down there.
Q:
What was your reaction when you saw the final film,
because normal people your age would not be seeing
this film.
FANNING:
Right.
Q:
Which I always found to be an interesting thing.
FANNING:
Yeah.
Q:
What was your first reaction to it? Where you surprised?
FANNING:
I didn’t know how it was going to end because
they filmed a couple different endings, so, when I
saw it, I had tears going all down my dress and down
my legs and everything, I was sobbing.
Q:
One of the executives blew it for me before I saw
the film.
FANNING:
Oh, they told you?
Q:
Isn’t that the worst? Going to a film and knowing
the ending?
FANNING:
Yeah, yeah. But I was like, I knew it was going during
the movie. I knew the scenes that were coming next
and everything, still it was like I didn’t know
what was gonna happen. I was like on the edge of my
seat, I was like, “oh my gosh,” and I
mean I knew, it was so funny. And it was like when
I was watching it, it wasn’t even like a movie,
it was like, you know, you were watching all that
happen like right there.
Q:
It was real life.
FANNING:
Yeah.
Q:
So what happens next for Dakota Fanning? I hope your
doing a comedy, I know your doing “HIDE AND
SEEK” with Robert DeNiro.
FANNING:
I just finished that a couple of weeks ago, so I’m
excited about that. And just got back. And right now
I’m doing all the interviews and stuff for “MAN
ON FIRE”.
Q:
Is it fun being Dakota Fanning? I have to say I’ve
never met a child more adjusted or articulate than
you.
FANNING:
Oh wow, thank you. I just have fun with what I do.
Q:
How do you keep it real?
FANNING:
Yeah, everybody’s always been so nice to me
and I always go to the set and can’t wait to
go and love what I do.
Q:
What can people expect when they go to see “MAN
ON FIRE”?
FANNING:
That they’ll never imagine what will happen
next and that they’ll be on the edge of their
seat the whole time. And you think that you know,
something’s gonna happen and it doesn’t
happen that way, and so it definitely keeps your attention.
Q:
A nail biter, a page turner.
FANNING:
Yes, definitely, definitely.
