Elle and Dakota Fanning cover the October issue of Vanity Fair. The profile is actually really good, and both sisters are very chatty and open. I’m going to say something controversial, but their dynamic and energy reminds me so much of Venus and Serena Williams. Dakota is the typical “older sister” who was tasked with looking after and mentoring her baby sister, and Elle worships Dakota and wants to do everything Dakota does. That’s Venus & Serena completely. And like the Williams sisters, I think the Fanning sisters saved each other – they always had each other to lean on and learn from, which kept them out of a lot of trouble. Dakota and Elle are two rare examples of child-stars who made the successful transition to adult acting careers. I would also say that Elle has eclipsed her big sister professionally. Some highlights from VF:

They’re normal: Now 31 and 27, the Fannings have been famous nearly all their lives. Both started acting as children; both had their first kisses on camera. Yet onscreen and in conversation, the sisters somehow radiate normalcy. Why aren’t they more…. “F–ked up?” says Elle, finishing the question. She leans back in her chair, taking a drag from an imaginary cigarette. “We’re like, ‘We’re so f–ked up. You don’t even know the half.’ ” She laughs. But seriously: “Even though we were young in this business, I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. People want us to feel like we missed out. They love that narrative.”

Dakota on whether they’re competitive: “Zero. We obviously share a lot”—including a stylist and publicist—“but we’re very different. So I don’t even see something that’s right for her as being right for me. I don’t feel competitive. But I know that people probably don’t believe that.”

They’re more open to working together now: “When we were younger, we wanted to make sure that people saw us differently, and we wanted to give each other space to carve our own path,” says Elle. “But as adults, it’s been very fulfilling to merge.”

Elle is a nepo-sister. “I’m a nepo sister. Of course I got opportunities because people are like, Oh, it’s Dakota Fanning’s sister. We’ll see her audition.”

Their mom: Joy was the anti-momager, says Dakota. “She was relying on finding good, trustworthy people. She went with us everywhere but also gave me a lot of space to find my footing.”

Elle’s latest movie: Her latest movie is also about fathers who make films. In Sentimental Value, Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier’s searing follow-up to The Worst Person in the World, Elle plays an American actor drawn into family drama when Stellan Skarsgård’s Gustav casts her to play his daughter in a movie—a role his actual daughter, Nora (Renate Reinsve), refuses to take. Elle didn’t want her character, Rachel, to be “the cliché, bratty, snotty kind of Hollywood star. I wanted to make her curious and brave.” The part wasn’t a giant leap for her. “I’ve had movies that didn’t work out the way you wanted to. But you always realize why you did them.”

Elle on Dakota asking for advice: “She enjoys getting a rise out of me,” says Elle, though she admits “the first time that she called me for advice, it was like the sun had just come down on me.… Now we talk about everything. She knows all my secrets and I know all of hers. I relish the fact that I can protect her because she needs protection too.” Underneath that tough exterior, “she has a very delicate heart.”

Elle’s boyfriend: She’s dating Rolling Stone executive chairman Gus Wenner, and she doesn’t care who knows it. “If your partner doesn’t post you on Instagram, that’s a red flag. I love my boyfriend, and we’re going to post each other,” she told me the day prior. “I’m so happy. And Dakota loves him. That’s the seal of approval.”

[From Vanity Fair]

They’re going to costar in a film as well, for the first time in their careers. They’ll costar as sisters in the adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale. I’m happy for them and they just comes across as very well-adjusted overall. I didn’t realize that their mom wasn’t into being a momager – I thought she was probably pushing them into Hollywood from a young age. But no, they make it sound like all of this was a huge surprise for mom and she tried to navigate it as best she could. Let’s be real – mom got lucky. But I also think Elle and Dakota really protected each other and the fact that they always had each other to lean on was the biggest reason why they turned out this way.

Cover courtesy of VF, additional photos courtesy of Cover Images.