Is Dakota Fanning really all grown up? Nope. She’s still on the rise. According to HR, our favorite leading lady who acts way beyond her age is receiving the Rising Star Award at the 20th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival. The award, which will be given on the 6th of January at the festival’s awards gala, has in the past been given to such actors as Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch, Scarlett Johansson and Terrence Howard.
It was Dakota’s performance in The Secret Life of Bees which actually snagged her the honor. The festival chairman, Harold Matzner, was especially impressed with her work in the film. He says, “Dakota Fanning is a talented young actress who as we watch her grow up over the years, continues to show her depth and range as a performer. We're delighted to recognize her with the festival's Rising Star Award for her impressive work in The Secret Life of Bees."
Confession time: I suffer from creepy-child-actor-phobia and Dakota Fanning used to be on the top of that freaky kid list. Well, behind the kid from The Shining. But, with all the hype from The Secret Lives of Bees, she’s been all over the talk show circuit and, actually seems like an average teenager. Her high school experiences remind me of my own. Her creepy maturity level is finally appropriate to her age, thus rendering it un-creepy. So un-creepy that now we creepy-child-actor-phobes can look forward to her taking on more adult roles. Secret Lives of Bees will be top priority for me when it’s released on Friday.
