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DAKOTA FANNING SAYS FORGET VEGEMITE
from the Herald Sun, November 28, 2006
by Siobhan Duck

DAKOTA Fanning has no qualms about cuddling pigs, chatting to spiders and playing with rats, but there is one thing the pint-sized actor cannot stomach – Vegemite.

Fanning, who is the first to admit she's a fussy eater, said she had not warmed to Vegemite during her four-month stay in Melbourne filming Charlotte's Web last year.

Fanning plays Fern in the latest adaptation of the classic children's book by E.B. White and is in town to promote its big screen release.

"I love Australia but I don't like Vegemite," Fanning said.

"I tried it, but it wasn't for me. I made all my friends and family try it when they came out to visit me and they didn't think much of it either."

While her stay in Australia didn't convert her to our local fare, Fanning said working on the movie had made her a fan of spiders.

She is also quick to add that her newfound love of creepy crawlies was based on the fact her co-star -- Charlotte the spider -- was computer-animated and voiced by Julia Roberts rather than played by the real thing.

"I don't think I could kill a spider after making this movie -- it could easily be a Charlotte," she said.

"I have never really been scared of spiders.

"One of my friends is arachnophobic and she doesn't think she'll be able to see the movie."

At just 12, Fanning has a list of acting credentials that actors twice her age would kill for.

She has appeared in television shows such as Friends, ER and CSI and in movies alongside the likes of Hollywood heavyweights Robert De Niro, Denzel Washington and Sean Penn.

She said she could not name a favourite co-star and had enjoyed working with Tom Cruise in the blockbuster War of the Worlds as much as she had with the 60-odd pigs who had shared the role of Wilbur in Charlotte's Web.

While many child stars lose their way later in life, Fanning said she did not believe it would happen to her.

Fanning said she hoped to follow in the footsteps of Jodie Foster -- another former child star -- and forge a successful career in movies as an adult.

"I have been acting in films since I was six so I haven't really had time to think about doing anything else," she said.

"I love acting.

"I know this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."

Charlotte's Web opens on December 7.

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