NEWSDakota Fanning Hopes 'Dating Will End Soon' So She Can Start a Family
Dakota Fanning has been acting since age 5.
Nov. 10 2025, Published 12:12 p.m. ET
Dakota Fanning is ready for the next stage of her life. In a new interview for Byrdie, the former child star, 31, is hoping to have children sometime in the near future.
"Every year that goes by, you're more in tune with who you are and with what you want and don't want," she told the publication.
"I'm associating this decade with the next part of my life. I've always wanted to have kids — that's something I've never questioned and has always been really important to me," Fanning added.
Dakota Fanning Has Been a Hollywood Starlet Since Age 5
Dakota Fanning poses for 'Byrdie.'
"So, hopefully, dating will end soon, and this next decade will bring that into my life," she said.
The Man on Fire actress has been in the entertainment industry since the age of five, and has since become one of the most blockbuster names in showbiz.
She also spoke about being in the limelight at such a young age, telling the outlet that the label of acting "wise beyond her years" was unceremoniously slapped on her.
The former child star is ready to have kids.
"This narrative was placed on me," Fanning stated. "Everything I said or did that made people say that about me was just who I was and who I am."
"I know it’s not a bad thing, but it felt so heavy and negative to me. I definitely have gone through times where I'm like, 'I'm just the age that I am.' I'm still learning about myself, and I'm not going to be perfect all the time," the I Am Sam star added.
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Dakota Doesn't Want to Be 'Wise Beyond Her Years'
Dakota Fanning stayed strong while growing up in the limelight.
Fanning then explained how she won't "make the 'wise beyond your years' choice at every step."
The Georgia native admitted that there have been instances where she had to "work through" that narrative.
"But very fortunately, I've always had a strong sense of myself and a healthy ability to block out what feels untrue or too heavy. I'm good at compartmentalizing," she said.
Dakota and Her Sister Elle Are Starring in a New Film
Elle and Dakota Fanning will star in 'The Nightingale' together.
Fanning's younger sister, Elle, 27, has also made her mark in Hollywoodland, and the duo are even starring together in the upcoming drama, The Nightingale.
The historical flick hits the big screen in 2027 and is an adaptation of Kristin Hannah's novel of the same name. The plot follows two sisters who are stuck in World War II-era France and must stay together to survive the horrors of war.
