Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#655
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Dakota Fanning represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 26 years in, and Dakota is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Dakota Fanning appears in 40 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Dakota. Coraline is the clearest case: a film rated 8.1 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for war, drama, history. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Michael Morris, Joe Swanberg, Ishana Night Shyamalan and others, Dakota Fanning helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Coraline (2009) as Coraline Jones (voice) · Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019) as 'Squeaky' · I Am Sam (2001) as Lucy Diamond Dawson
Career snapshot
Ranked #655 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
40
2001–2027
Career length
26 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.1
Coraline
Average Nutevio score
6.2
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.9
Coraline
Most frequent director
Michael Morris
1 film together
Longest collaboration
1×
With Michael Morris
Most common genre
Drama
23 titles
Average runtime
1h 42m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.4
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2000s
6.6 average MV
The 2000s are where the work and the material meet. Coraline, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Push — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2000s
6.6
Across 18 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2000s
6.6
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
2000s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Coraline, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Push.
Most productive era
2000s
18 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 7.07 films | 6.413 films | 1.53 films |
| Action | 6.83 films | 7.01 film | 7.31 film |
| Thriller | 6.64 films | 6.74 films | 6.72 films |
| Comedy | 6.27 films | 7.13 films | 0.01 film |
| Crime | 6.12 films | 6.43 films | 7.31 film |
| Romance | 5.93 films | 6.73 films | 2.32 films |
| Horror | 6.41 film | 7.12 films | 6.22 films |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
2001I Am Sam
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Lucy Diamond Dawson.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2009Coraline
8.1 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2027The Nightingale
The current state of the argument, as Vianne.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
40 of 40 films
as Coraline Jones (voice)
Directed by Henry Selick
as Lily Owens
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
as Tessa Scott
Directed by Unknown
as Lupita Ramos
Directed by Tony Scott
as Lucy Diamond Dawson
Directed by Jessie Nelson
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Coraline Jones (voice)
Coraline (2009)
Performance score8.6
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Coraline Jones (voice) gives Dakota Fanning a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Lily Owens
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
Performance score8.1
The Secret Life of Bees asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Lily Owens is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Tessa Scott
Now Is Good (2012)
Performance score7.9
Now Is Good asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Tessa Scott is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Lupita Ramos
Man on Fire (2004)
Performance score7.8
Man on Fire asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Lupita Ramos is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Coraline Jones (voice)
Start here. Coraline is the clearest statement of what Dakota Fanning does — accessible, 100 minutes, and rated 8.1 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Dakota at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
I Am Sam (2001)
A deliberate change of key after Coraline — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Man on Fire (2004)
Keeps the drama register of I Am Sam but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
Keeps the drama register of Man on Fire but asks for a colder reading of it.
Now Is Good (2012)
Keeps the drama register of The Secret Life of Bees but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Jessie Nelson
Director
1 film together
Notably I Am Sam
Andy Tennant
Director
1 film together
Notably Sweet Home Alabama
Luis Mandoki
Director
1 film together
Notably Trapped
Steve Loter
Director
1 film together
Notably Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time
Boaz Yakin
Director
1 film together
Notably Uptown Girls
Bo Welch
Director
1 film together
Notably The Cat in the Hat
Tony Scott
Director
1 film together
Notably Man on Fire
John Gatins
Director
1 film together
Notably Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story
John Polson
Director
1 film together
Notably Hide and Seek
Steven Spielberg
Director
1 film together
Notably War of the Worlds
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Director
1 film together
Notably The Secret Life of Bees
Rowan Woods
Director
1 film together
Notably Winged Creatures
Paul McGuigan
Director
1 film together
Notably Push
Chris Weitz
Director
1 film together
Notably The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Henry Selick
Director
1 film together
Notably Coraline
Floria Sigismondi
Director
1 film together
Notably The Runaways
David Slade
Director
1 film together
Notably The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Bill Condon
Director
1 film together
Notably The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Richard Laxton
Director
1 film together
Notably Effie Gray
Andrew Renzi
Director
1 film together
Notably The Benefactor
Ewan McGregor
Director
1 film together
Notably American Pastoral
Ben Lewin
Director
1 film together
Notably Please Stand By
Gary Ross
Director
1 film together
Notably Ocean's Eight
Quentin Tarantino
Director
1 film together
Notably Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
Gerardo Naranjo
Director
1 film together
Notably Viena and the Fantomes
Antoine Fuqua
Director
1 film together
Notably The Equalizer 3
Ishana Night Shyamalan
Director
1 film together
Notably The Watchers
Joe Swanberg
Director
1 film together
Notably The Sun Never Sets
Michael Morris
Director
1 film together
Notably The Nightingale
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Henry Selick
Director
1 film together · 8.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
CoralineQuentin Tarantino
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Once Upon a Time... in HollywoodJessie Nelson
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
I Am SamGina Prince-Bythewood
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Secret Life of BeesTony Scott
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Man on FireAntoine Fuqua
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Equalizer 3John Gatins
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dreamer: Inspired By a True StoryGary Ross
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Ocean's EightBoaz Yakin
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Uptown GirlsBen Lewin
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Please Stand BySteve Loter
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Kim Possible: A Sitch in TimeSteven Spielberg
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
War of the WorldsBill Condon
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2Floria Sigismondi
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The RunawaysIshana Night Shyamalan
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The WatchersJohn Polson
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hide and SeekAndy Tennant
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sweet Home AlabamaEwan McGregor
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
American PastoralDavid Slade
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Twilight Saga: EclipseChris Weitz
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Twilight Saga: New MoonPaul McGuigan
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
PushLuis Mandoki
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
TrappedRichard Laxton
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Effie GrayRowan Woods
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Winged CreaturesBo Welch
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Cat in the HatAndrew Renzi
Director
1 film together · 4.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The BenefactorGerardo Naranjo
Director
1 film together · 4.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Viena and the FantomesMichael Morris
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The NightingaleJoe Swanberg
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Sun Never SetsSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Recognition
2 wins · 5 nominations
No wins yet · 1 nomination
as Actor
1 win · 1 nomination · latest 2001
as Actor
as Actor
1 win · 1 nomination · latest 2005
as Actor
as Actor
No wins yet · 1 nomination
as Actor
No wins yet · 1 nomination
as Actor
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Coraline
as Coraline Jones (voice)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Coraline
as Coraline Jones (voice)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Coraline
as Coraline Jones (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Ocean's Eight
as Penelope Stern
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Coraline
as Coraline Jones (voice)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Dakota Fanning has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
26 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Drama Legend
Awarded
23 catalogue titles in drama, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Coraline
as Coraline Jones (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Equalizer 3
as Emma Collins
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Viena and the Fantomes
as Viena
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
The Watchers
as Mina / Lucy
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Man on Fire
as Lupita Ramos
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Push
as Cassie Holmes
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Now Is Good
as Tessa Scott
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
as Jane
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
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Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Harvey Keitel
Works with the same directors — Quentin Tarantino
David Krumholtz
Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
Have your say
Community
Which Dakota Fanning performance holds up best?
Our readers argue about this one. Make your case, or read the ranked debate already in progress.
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Reference
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