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A MODERN ODD COUPLE
from CBS News, August 14, 2003
In the new comedy "Uptown Girls," Brittany Murphy stars as the daughter of a late rock legend who suddenly finds herself broke and takes a job as a nanny to make ends meet.
Unfortunately, her new assignment, a girl played by actress Dakota Fanning, might be a little more than she can handle.
Murphy and Fanning stopped by The Early Show to talk to co-anchor Harry Smith about their feisty on-screen relationship.
Murphy plays Molly Gunn, a socialite who is the life of a party and without a care in the world - until she loses her money. She is charged with supervising 8-year-old Ray, played by Fanning, whose behavior is too adult and too conservative for her age.
One of Fanning’s favorite scenes in the film is when her character tries to prevent Molly from biting intyo her plastic scones and ends up spraying Lysol to remove Molly’s germs.
“Because I think it really explains the character," Fanning says. "Spraying Lysol on stuff. When Molly says, ‘Kid, have you been to a shrink?’ And I say, ‘Since I was 3,’ that explains a lot,” Fanning adds, giggling with Murphy about her character.
The two make a modern odd couple with a lot to learn from each other. Molly gives Ray her childhood back. And Ray helps Molly become a woman.
Murphy says, “Molly really loves life and she has a great love of life. She definitely embodies chaos. She understands chaos. It's the message that takes the hold of me. Terrible things can happen in life, but what our characters teach each other is something that's priceless. No matter what happens, as long as you have yourself to believe in, then you're going to be OK.”
Murphy says she was thrilled to do the role. She says she was attracted to the humor in the script as well as the fairytale aspect of the story. And, she says, there was a little of her own eccentric personality in Molly.
Although Murphy is older than Fanning, the younger actress – who's coming off her Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated performance opposite Sean Penn in "I Am Sam" – stands tall next to her co-star.

Some Facts About Dakota Fanning
. Fanning was born in Conyers, Ga., on Feb. 23, 1994
. At the age of 8, she is the youngest person to ever be nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, according to imdb.com
. Fanning has appeared in such television shows as "ER," "Ally McBeal," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Spin City"
. Fanning has appeared in "Sweet Home Alabama" and "24 Hours"
. The actress made her film debut in 2001's "Tomcats"

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