Elle Fanning delivers a compelling performance in Predator: Badlands, taking on dual roles that highlight her evolving talent as an adult actress. The film, released recently, places Fanning at the center of a story involving complex synthetic beings and alien hunters, showcasing her ability to balance both charm and cold calculatedness. Her work in these Elle Fanning Predator roles signals a significant step in her career after years of transitioning from child star to mature performer.
A Career Path from Childhood Stardom to Ambitious Adult Roles
Working as a child actor often poses emotional and mental challenges, yet Elle and her sister Dakota Fanning have made an impressive transition from early roles into serious adult parts. Elle, initially seen as the younger sibling to Dakota, appeared nearly as early in films, playing a younger version of Dakota’s character in the 2001 film I Am Sam. Though Dakota worked with high-profile directors and actors such as Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise from that breakthrough onward, Elle maintained a steady presence in movies from 2003 until 2020, only taking a notable break to star in the Hulu series The Great, which wrapped up in 2023.
Since concluding The Great, Elle’s profile has risen markedly. In 2023, she starred in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown, and more recently cemented her place with one of her most prominent roles yet in Predator: Badlands, where her dual portrayals as robotic characters earned widespread notice. Alongside this, she appeared in Sentimental Value, a critically acclaimed film directed by Joachim Trier, which is considered an Oscar contender.
Exploring Complex Characters in Recent Works
Elle Fanning’s recent roles reflect a move toward more multifaceted characters. In Sentimental Value, she plays Rachel Kemp, a Hollywood actress who finds herself involved in a nuanced father-daughter drama. The film centers on filmmaker Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) and his strained relationship with his daughter Nora (Renate Reinsve), with Rachel serving as a supporting figure caught in the middle.
Though Rachel’s role is not the main focus, her challenges reveal the intricacies of playing a character who is both part of Hollywood’s machinery and personally navigating artistic uncertainties. Rachel’s attempts to understand the part she plays within Gustav’s narrative reflect the meta-textual layers of Fanning’s career, playing an actress embodying someone grappling with roles not fully meant for her. She raises thoughtful questions about identity and belonging, traits that resonate with Fanning’s own evolution as an actress.
Dual Roles in Predator: Badlands Highlighting Different Aspects of Synthetic Life
Predator: Badlands does not revolve around humans but instead focuses heavily on what it means to simulate humanity, a challenge Fanning embraces through her two roles. She plays Thia, a synthetic designed to be warm, witty, and optimistic, acting as a sidekick to Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a member of an alien hunting species. Thia’s programming enables her to imitate human charm and kindness, which Fanning portrays with an engaging, star-quality energy.
This character’s warmth contrasts sharply with Fanning’s other role: Tessa, a pitiless and cold synthetic, embodying the harsher aspects of artificial intelligence. By portraying both Thia and Tessa, Fanning offers a study in synthetic duality, demonstrating how her performances can swing from playful humanity to ruthless detachment seamlessly. This complexity serves as a metaphor for the challenges of maintaining true emotional connection in an increasingly artificial world.
Tracing the Sibling Dynamic and Its Impact on Career Trajectories
Elle and Dakota Fanning’s trajectories reflect distinct approaches to acting. Dakota’s childhood roles featured precocious, highly poised characters that directors like Spielberg turned into compelling performances, albeit sometimes with an air of scripted polish bordering on sitcom-level charm. This style earned affection and even playful parody, as seen in an Amy Poehler Saturday Night Live sketch depicting Dakota as an advanced talk-show host among children.
In contrast, Elle’s early roles, including her part in Super 8 as the tween crush and amateur actress, projected a less polished, more natural and scrappy vibe. Her performances rarely showed overt rehearsed sophistication, instead presenting a grounded, dependable style that suggested a thoughtful maturity without striving for attention. This approach has allowed her to grow into adult roles with more nuanced self-reflexiveness, consciously steering away from the glossy precocity that marked her sister’s early work.
Playing Actors and Robots: A Reflection on Identity and Performance
Fanning’s role as Rachel in Sentimental Value—a busy, capable actress struggling to connect with a deeply personal project—echoes her work in Predator: Badlands, where she plays not one but two synthetic beings learning what it means to act human. This triad of roles—two robots and one actress—enables Fanning to explore different layers of performance and identity simultaneously.
In A Complete Unknown, her portrayal of Bob Dylan’s girlfriend leans toward empathy and genuine connection, appearing understated yet impactful. Meanwhile, Predator: Badlands invites her to amplify charm, wit, and calculated manipulation, illustrating her range and comfort in balancing the gulf between artificial performance and authentic emotion. This balancing act hints at a performer increasingly at ease with the complexities of appearing human, both in and beyond the screen.
What Lies Ahead for Elle Fanning and Her Expanding Portfolio
Elle Fanning’s recent work marks an important inflection point in her career, where youthful promise is replaced by deliberate role selection and layered performances. Her ability to embody contrasting characters within a single film like Predator: Badlands demonstrates a fearless commitment to challenging parts. Meanwhile, her participation in a respected drama like Sentimental Value shows her readiness to engage with weighty, subtle narratives alongside blockbuster fare.
As Elle continues to mature as an actress, her distinctive approach to roles—whether synthetic or deeply human—will likely keep drawing attention from filmmakers and audiences alike. With a resume that spans from early 2000s child acting to contemporary complex characters, her trajectory offers a compelling example of how sibling rivalry, industry pressures, and personal growth intersect in Hollywood’s evolving landscape.
