Dakota Fanning Says This Extremely Famous Former Co-Star Has Given Her a Birthday Present Every Year for Nearly 20 Years

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 15 April 2024

Dakota Fanning—currently starring in Netflix’s Ripley—starred alongside Tom Cruise in 2005’s War of the Worlds, and during filming, Fanning turned 11 years old. For that birthday, Cruise gave her a cell phone (a Motorola Razr, if you’re wondering), and Fanning told Harper’s Bazaar that Cruise has given her a birthday gift every year since. (That’s nearly 20 years’ worth of presents!)

Dakota Fanning and Tom Cruise — Cruise and Fanning starred in the sci-fi thriller "War of the Worlds" together in 2005.

Fanning’s Ripley co-star Andrew Scott correctly guessed the answer to “Who gave Dakota her first cell phone?” with the answer “Okay, well, it’s going to be some Hollywood icon…Tom Cruise.” (How did he know that?!) Fanning confirmed this, saying “Oh my God, I was so excited,” before noting that she “didn’t have anybody to call or text at that time,” so she wasn’t exactly sure how useful the gift was.

“You know, I was 11,” she said. “But I loved having it. I loved it. I felt so cool.”

She added “Tom sends me a birthday gift every year, and has since that birthday,” noting that the latest one arrived on her landmark thirtieth birthday earlier in April. “So thoughtful,” Scott joked. “Really, really nice. He’s never given me anything.”

Dakota Fanning and Andrew Scott — Scott and Fanning promoting their new project, Netflix's "Ripley," together.

Cruise actually isn’t the only former co-star to give Fanning a gift, by the way: Dakota divulged in Elle’s “Ask Me Anything” video series that her Dreamer co-star Kurt Russell also gave her a horse once. So the question looms—Andrew Scott, what are you going to get Fanning? We’ll wait.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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