Dakota Fanning is a girl after our own hearts—she gets excited when talking about sweets, can recite every word to My Best Friend’s Wedding, and has opinions when it comes to jeans. And while she’s definitely passionate about the aforementioned topics, discussions about chocolate chip cookies and rom-coms are likely a welcome reprieve from the press interviews Fanning has been doing of late for season two of The Alienist. The first season of the psychological thriller, based on Caleb Carr’s novel, marked Fanning’s serious foray into television. In season two, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness, Fanning returns as private detective Sara Howard, alongside costars Daniel Brühl and Luke Evans, in the turn-of-the-20th-century murder mystery—but this time she’s taking the reins. (The TNT season premieres on Sunday, July 19, at 9 p.m. E.T.)
It’s a mature role showcasing the evolution of an actor who’s been in the spotlight since she was seven years old, when she first broke our hearts playing Sean Penn’s daughter in I Am Sam. Now, at 26 and with more than 60 film credits to her name, Fanning speaks like a woman who knows herself—her likes, her wants. While it might take some hemming and hawing for most of us to decide on our absolute favorite, favorite song, Fanning is direct and decisive. Take a look at more of Dakota Fanning's favorite things, below.
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I am not the chef in the family, but I have been trying my hand at trying to find my chocolate chip recipe—the one that I’m going to cook for my kids, the one that I stand behind. So I’ve done some experimenting, and I think I’ve found it. It’s based off a few different recipes I’ve found online, but the big key I’ve learned is to refrigerate the dough for as long as you possibly can. That’s my takeaway.
I hate to admit it, but it’s Instagram. The other day I saw [on my phone], “You’ve been on Instagram for this many hours today,” and I was like, “I never want to see those numbers ever again. Please!” I mean, it was obviously a day that I was at home and couldn’t leave and didn’t see anyone, so I’ll give myself a pass, but I was a little disturbed.
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My sister and I are supposed to be doing a movie together where we’ll be working together for the first time—it’s based on the book The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. That’s the last book I’ve read, and I’ve been rereading it. We were supposed to start filming in March and obviously weren’t able to, but that will be the next thing up. I've been doing a lot of imagining and ruminating on that.
It’s gotta be butterfly clips. I started getting breakage on my tiny little white hairs, I was using them so much. My mom was like, “This has got to stop. All of your hair is gone!”
I have so many—I’m a reality-TV junkie. But I guess if I had to only choose one, I’m a Real Housewives diehard: Beverly Hills and New York. I’ve watched a lot of 90 Day Fiancé in the past few months as well.
I’m a huge Sia fan. I love her so much, and she has this song called “Reaper” that I used to listen to all the time when I lived alone in New York. I would play it, like, 20 times a day. My neighbors probably thought I was a total freak, because I would just play that one song. It reminds me of that time in my life.
I love Outdoor Voices. Most of my workout clothing is from them. Their new soft leggings are so comfortable.
I’ve bought barely anything these days, but my best friend is pregnant with my goddaughter, so it was definitely something for her.
I’ve done the whole Gua Sha rose quartz thing—I was definitely into the rollers and Gua Sha movement. I get on that train for a week at a time, and then I kind of fall off of it. I don’t know that I see a difference, but it’s still something that’s fun to do and feels luxurious. Especially if you keep them in the freezer.
I’ve never touched my eyebrows ever. I’ve never tweezed, waxed, or threaded them, and that’s because when I was younger and met Karl Lagerfeld for the first time, he said, “Never let anyone cut your hair, and never let anyone touch your eyebrows.”
I’ve been living in the Daily Sleeper linen dresses. They’re so comfortable and easy, and they look so cute. I feel put together when I wear one, even though it’s really sort of a ruffled linen flowy situation. It’s breezy.
My favorite sneakers are the Alexander McQueen moon shoe. I have the ones that lace up and then Velcro, and there’s a little color suede on the back. I wear them all the time. I know some of my friends don’t like them, but I love them. The reason I know I love them is that it doesn’t bother me when anyone says, “Those shoes, man….”
I’m a big rosé, crisp white wine, sauvy-B kind of girl, but if i’m going to have a cocktail, it will be a margarita, hands down.
I’m a sweets person. If I’m home, I’m having Baskin Robbins World Class Chocolate ice cream. If I’m at a theater, it will be popcorn with M+M’s sprinkled on top.
Re/Done. Trying on jeans is most women’s nightmare—I don’t think it matters how body confident you are. It’s just not something you want to do. But these jeans make me want to try on jeans.
I’ve been doing Cardio Barre since I was in high school, for years and years and years. It’s exactly what it sounds like—it’s a cardio, ballet barre, aerobic workout. They have a couple of studios, but since I’ve been home, I’ve been doing their streaming on demand.
I used to watch My Best Friend’s Wedding over and over and over again growing up, so it makes me very nostalgic for being young and watching Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz. I just love the story and the characters. One of my favorite moments in any movie is when Julia Roberts goes into the bathroom to find Cameron Diaz, who plays Kimmy, after she’s seen her kissing Michael. She goes into this crowded bathroom in the train station and keeps saying, “Kimmy!” And there’s this voice in the background going, “Kimmy!” I think it’s supposed to be someone in the bathroom who’s just repeating Julia Roberts. I don’t know why, but I just love that moment so much. There can never be a remake. Never. I’d be scared.
Caitlin Brody is the entertainment director at Condé Nast.
