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"I've never told this story," she began, before calling the person who made the comment "a disgusting pig."
Elle Fanning opened up about growing up in the spotlight in a new actress roundtable, sharing one particularly disturbing incident from her teen years with other women in TV.
The 25-year-old star of "The Great" sat down alongside "Abbott Elementary" Emmy-winner Sheryl Lee Ralph, "Poker Face" star Natasha Lyonne, Ayo Edebiri from "The Bear" and "Reservation Dogs" breakout star Devery Jacobs for The Hollywood Reporter's Comedy Actress roundtable, where she revealed something that made all their jaws drop.
The story came up after the women were asked whether they feel more autonomy in their careers now compared to their earlier years in the industry.
During the comedy actress #THRRoundtable, #TheGreat star Elle Fanning shared the story of how she once lost out on a role at 16 because she was told she was "unf--kable" pic.twitter.com/shXx6IVkSn
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 6, 2023 @THR
"I've never told this story, but I was trying out for a movie. I didn't get it. I don't even think they ever made it, but it was a father-daughter road trip comedy," she began. "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, I was literally 17 years old, and this person said, 'Oh, she didn't get the father-daughter road trip comedy because she's unf---able,'" Fanning then claimed, getting a "Whoa! At 16?!" out of Ralph, who sat beside her.
"Yes. It's so disgusting. There are so many stories like this," said Fanning, who has compared notes with her counterparts in the industry. "I laugh at it now, like, 'What a disgusting pig!'"
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View StoryWhen asked how she digested feedback like that at the time, Fanning said that while she was "always immensely confident," growing up in the public eye can be "weird."
"I'll look at paparazzi photos from when I was 12 and think, 'Is that a good thing to see such a mirror of yourself at that age?' I don't feel like it damaged me, but it definitely made me very aware of myself," she said.
Lyonne then shared a disturbing experience of her own from her Hollywood beginnings, claiming that when she auditioned for a "Lolita" remake as a 14 or 15-year-old actress, she was asked, "Can you eat this banana slowly?"
"And I was already a bit of a tough guy, so I was like, 'So you mean eat the banana slowly?' But it's sick," she continued. "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."
Watch the full discussion below:
