MEDIA > ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS > 2002

DIRECTOR TAKEN BY FANNING
Jeff Woolnough, director of episode eight of the SCI FI Channel's upcoming original miniseries Steven Spielberg Presents Taken, told SCI FI Wire that he was impressed by his young star, Dakota Fanning. "Dakota Fanning is remarkable," Woolnough said in an interview. "She's like an 8-year-old acting machine. I've never actually met a kid like her before. She comes to set in the morning, she hugs everybody, she's always happy. She never did anything remotely close to behavior that you'd expect from an 8-year-old. She was like 8 years old going on 40. And she came in every day, knew her lines, and you could give her an adjustment, like 'Hey, Dakota. What about if you tried it like this?' She'd go, 'Sure,' and she'd do it. She'd do exactly what you wanted. I worked with kids before, but I never worked with a kid like her. She's amazing. And her mother, too, Joy, is just terrific. You've heard horror stories about stage mothers before. This mother is the antithesis of that. She's just normal, down-to-earth, feet-on-the-ground person. Really terrific. I can't say enough about those two."

The episode includes a dramatic conceit that could have been tough for any star, let alone a child actor. Fanning had to spend most of the episode wearing a mask that covered her whole head and face. "I was worried about that with her, because it's tough. If you're at all claustrophobic or worried about not being able to hear, not being able to see for long periods of time, the helmet was potentially a really intimidating item. Fortunately, Dakota had no problem with it at all. She could wear it for long periods of time without any trouble." Taken, a 20-hour miniseries that chronicles the lives of three families against the backdrop of 50 years of UFO lore,premieres on SCI FI Dec. 2.

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