Why Elle Fanning "Refused" to Watch Sister Dakota's Friends Episode

Maleficent star also recalls auditioning for the popular NBC sitcom

By Mike Vulpo Mar 22, 2019 5:04 PMTags
Elle Fanning, Porter Edit Matthew Sprout for PorterEdit

Elle Fanning will be there for her sister—just not for this gig.

Die-hard fans of the NBC sitcom Friends will remember Dakota Fanning's guest appearance in a 2004 episode. But before you assume that her sister was tuning in, you may want to hear from Elle directly.

"I had an [audition] to be on Friends once. I might be remembering this wrong but I think I was gonna be one of Phoebe's triplets," she recalled in Net-A-Porter's weekly digital magazine PorterEdit. "I auditioned for it but I didn't get it and I was like, ‘I'm boycotting the show, I'm never watching this again.'"

Elle continued, "Then my sister was on it and I refused to watch the episode. I was like, ‘I am not watching this!'"

For the record, the famous sisters are very supportive of each other's careers. And long before walking red carpets and attending A-list parties, they were just a sibling duo who loved to act at home.

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Friends Cast Reunions

"My sister and I would play these elaborate scenes around the house. Like birthing scenes… I would be the baby, coming out… Crazy stuff like that," Elle recalled. "We were doing it for ourselves; we weren't, like, ‘Oh, Mom and Dad, sit down and we're gonna perform for you.' That was how we played."

Matthew Sprout for PorterEdit

Looking ahead, excitement is building for the release of Maleficent 2 featuring Angelina Jolie.

While details about the highly anticipated sequel are being kept under wraps, Elle was able to share a few teases in her latest interview.

"I hope it's what the fans are looking for," she shared. "The mother-daughter relationship that Maleficent and Aurora have, that's really…played on."

Elle continued, "I want Aurora to be a character that [girls] can look up to, who's strong and all that. But Angelina and I were talking about this: Maleficent, of course, has the dark side, and Aurora is the one who loves pink and is the light and she's not afraid to be feminine. I think it's beautiful that I get to represent [someone] who is strong in her beliefs, but is also unwavering in staying true to herself…There's nothing wrong with loving your feminine side. I think as women we should really love that part of us."