Ryan Seacrest: Please welcome the partially toothless Dakota Fanning!
[Dakota comes in waving and runs to Ryan, Ryan picks her up and spins her around.]
RS: Good to see you again.
Dakota Fanning: Hello! Giggles
RS: Aw man, how cool is it to be you right now?
DF: Good. Brushes something away from her mouth.
RS: What do you have in your mouth, hair?
DF: Hair! Giggles.
RS: I spin you around, you get the hair in your mouth there.
So, the last time I saw you, uh, you were talking about a boy that you had a little crush on.
DF: Yes. But, um, then he got a bowl cut.
RS: He got a –
DF: Yeah, he got a bowl cut, and then I didn’t like him anymore. [Giggles.]
RS: Sooo the bowl cut – I know what you're talking about.
DF: And I didn’t have crush on him anymore.
RS: And so is hair, and style, and image something important to you when you look for qualities in a man?
DF: Just can’t get a bowl cut! [Giggles.]
RS: And then, how many teeth are you missing?
DF: Um, well, all the teeth I’ve lost have been pulled and I’ve had six teeth pulled, so…
RS: Okay, and do you put them under you pillow and wait for the tooth fairy?
DF: Yes, but I – I keep them.
RS: You keep them?
DF: ‘Cause I have them and they all have like, roots on them…[raises her eyebrows at the audience, makes a weird face. Audience laughs.]
RS: [Makes scared face.] What do you, can I, what are you going to do with them?
DF: I just keep them, in like, little tooth boxes.
RS: Sure, and any plans for the teeth?
DF: No, they just, they just kind of sit there, and then I get, um, five gold dollar coins per tooth.
RS: So that’s what, so the rate is now five gold dollar coins, that’s where they’re going?
DF: Yeah.
RS: All right, good. Plus the movies, you’re making a lot of money these days, huh?
DF: [Laughs, looks down, embaressed face.]
RS: So this Man on Fire-
[Audience laughs, Ryan does a short imitation of Dakota.]
RS: So this Man on Fire film really is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. You’re so good in this movie, and –
DF: Oh, thank you so much. [Audience claps.]
RS: [To audience:] And you know, if you haven’t seen it, you should go out and see it this weekend. Was it tough for you to play this character Pita?
DF: Um, you know, I mean, I had so much fun doing it, I couldn’t wait to go to the set every day and we filmed it in Mexico City for five months.
RS: So what was it like being in Mexico City for you?
DF: It’s so –
RS: It’s a big place.
DF: It is.
RS: Lots of traffic, right?
DF: Yes, I mean, it was so cool being there, and just like, we went to, you know, the pyramids, and a bunch of places, and it was so fun just to be, you know, in Mexico.
RS: And you character’s a swimmer, so you had to learn how to swim –
DF: Yes.
RS: Did you know how to swim before the movie?
DF: Yes, I knew how to swim, but not at all like I needed to swim, so….
RS: Right.
DF: So I had to get, um you know, really, really fast, and I had to learn how to do all the dives and the flip turns and everything.
RS: The flip turns you get water in your ears, don’t you, that’s a –
DF: Well, you have to – I got water up my nose sometimes (audience laughs) but you just, you have to blow out.
RS: Okay. So when you’re going into the (does a sound effect) into the turn –
DF: Into the turn –
RS: That’s when you have to blow out through your nose.
DF: Then you wanna blow out.
RS: Okay. What’s your, uh, your favorite – stroke?
DF: Stroke.
RS: That’s what they are.
DF: Free style.
RS: Free style, you like the –
DF: Free style.
RS: Yeah. Would you ever like to compete, on a team? ‘Cause I was a swimmer; I used to put on the uh, cap and the little, uh –
DF: That’s what I have to wear, the cap, because otherwise my hair will turn green. [Audience laughs, Dakota laughs.]
RS: Right. From all the chemicals.
DF: Right. So I have to, I always have to wear a cap.
RS: Mmm hmm. Doesn’t it hurt when you put the cap on?
DF: Well, you have to wet you hair, and the put conditioner on it and then put the cap on. Audience laughs.
RS: Is there anything you don’t know?
DF: laughs hard. No, because it will like, break your hair off.
RS: Yes, of course. [Audience and Dakota laugh.]
RS: I said you’re ten. Are you sure you’re ten?
DF: Yes, positive.
RS: You’re not, like, one of those actresses lying about her age and you’re –
DF: Giggles. No, I’m positive.
RS: All right, well I have to tell you, this is the first time I’ve ever gotten a gift before the show from one of our guests before the show. And Dakota wrote this card –
[Holds card toward camera. It says “Ryan” on the front. Says to audience: Can you see this here; she wrote this…][To Dakota:] And I can tell you wrote this, in your own penmanship.
DF: Yeah.
RS: It says, “Dear Ryan, thank you for having me on the show, great to see you, I hope you like this gift.” And she gave me a coffee card! [Audience claps.] So I can have all kinds of free coffee. Thank you for doing that. [Gives Dakota a hug.]
DF: You’re welcome.
RS: And I told you when I came by your dressing room that I had a chance to speak to Denzel just yesterday.
DF: Yes!
RS: And we were here with him with the camera. Here’s what Denzel had to say about Dakota Fanning – watch this.
Shows clip of Denzel, saying he finds himself watching Dakota in scenes and thinking, She’s 47. He says, “She’s just special; she has this light.” [Camera shows Dakota smiling as she watches the clip. The audience claps.]
RS: Do you realize how big of a deal it is to co-star with a guy like Denzel Washington?
DF: Yeah, definitely, I mean, just to be able to meat him is such an honor, much less to work with him. It’s like, the coolest thing in the world.
RS: Did he tease you on the set a little bit?
DF: Um, well, we had so much fun. We played pingpong on the set and we spent a lot of time, you know, riding in the car so we’d look around, and we had little jokes and everything.
RS: And you said in Mexico City, so you learned a little Spanish.
DF: I did.
RS: Yeah. So like, what were – teach us a little Spanish here, Dakota.
DF: Okay. Gracias por entrevistarme hoy. [Ryan makes a face at the camera. The audience laughs and claps.]
RS: Thank you –
DF: Right –
RS: What was the rest of it?
DF: [says it again, slower.]
RS: Okay. Of course, I know what you said, but tell those of us watching right now – audience laughs. Who don’t realize what you said.
DF: Thank you for interviewing me today.
RS: Aw, that’s very nice, that’s good. [Audience claps.] How about when you’re – I’m just trying to put myself in your shoes. So you’re ten years old, you’re working on a huge movie, what about class, school?
DF: Right. Well, I have a teacher that goes with me, and then we have, like, a school trailer that we dress up like a classroom; we have like, maps, so it’s basically like a real classroom – except there’s just me. Ryan and audience laugh.
RS: You’re the only person in there.
DF: I’m the only person there, with my teacher, but it’s fun –
RS: Do you like it? Do you like school?
DF: I love it. We have, like, globes and everything, it’s great. [Ryan laughs.] No, it’s fun, there’s like, globes and maps, and we-
RS: Globes and maps are a staple to the classroom, Dakota. [She giggles.] All right, let’s play the – you guys wanna play the Junior Bonus Round here, ladies and gentlemen. Let’s learn a little bit more about Dakota Fanning.
DF: Okay.
RS: We cut right to the chase with the bonus round.
DF: All right.
RS: So I’m gonna pull these [cards showing two different pictures] up, and tell me which you like better, okay?
DF: All right.
RS: So we’ve got ballet or swimming.
DF: Well, I take ballet, and I did the swimming, but I guess I would have to say swimming, because I learned to love it.
RS: Swimming, good. You got the flip turn down – breathe through your nose. Dakota giggles.
DF: Exactly.
RS: And chocolate or cheeseburger, which is your favorite?
DF: Chocolate.
RS: You love chocolate.
DF: Yeah…
RS: What chick doesn’t? [Dakota laughs.] Alright, Latoya or Fantasia?
DF: Oh…[long pause]
RS: Listen to the audience. "How could you throw that one at her?"
DF: I don’t know, I like them both; they’re my favorite ones!
RS: Those are you favorite ones.
DF: Yeah.
RS: Well, if you had to pick one. [long pause from Dakota] Seacrest, OUT! Don’t do that one. Throws the card behind him. All right, this is gonna be tough, okay? I want you to be totally honest with me.
DF: All right.
RS: Who do you dislike the most? Holds up a card with Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell on it. [Long pause from Dakota.] Go ahead.
DF: Oh, I don’t know!
RS: All right, who is so much older than you, me, and Randy?
DF: [giggles.] I don’t know.
RS: [points at Randy, then switches to Simon.] Dakota giggles.
RS: All right, now, let’s talk about music; you a music fan? You love music?
DF: I like music a lot.
RS: All right, here we go. Holds up a card with Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears. Britney or Justin, who do you like?
DF: Umm…
RS: Well, I! [Audience laughs.]
DF: I can’t choose; I don’t know. I like them BOTH!
RS: You like them both? Okay. You keep that then – [hands Dakota the card]. Take them both with you. [Dakota turns to the audience and hugs the card.]
RS: All right, roller coaster or roller skates?
DF: Roller coaster!
RS: Roller coaster, good.
DF: Yes.
RS: And finally, puppies or kittens? [Audience awwws.] Don’t say “I like them both.”
DF: No, I won’t – I’m not. All right. I’m gonna say puppies because I want a puppy so bad, and I HAD kitties, but they both died. Laughs. So. But I don’t have a puppy, so I would say puppies.
RS: You want a puppy so bad.
DF: I want a long-haired Chihuahua so bad.
RS: Okay, all right. You could probably afford a Mercedes. I’d get yourself a puppy too. [Dakota laughs.]
RS: Okay. All right. Thank you very much, Dakota Fanning. Will you stick around, hang out?
DF: Yes! Thank you for having me on the show!
RS: We’ll be right back. Man on Fire in theaters now. [Dakota waves around Britney and Justin card.] You like them both, huh?
DF: Yes I like them both!
[Commercials start.]
