Dakota Fanning 'Dreamt of Turning 30' Since She Was Teen, Sister Elle Fanning Says in Birthday Tribute

Elle Fanning is wishing her sister Dakota well on a “particularly special” trip around the sun. 

Dakota, who became a star at age 7 in 2001’s I Am Sam, turns 30 years old today. 

Elle, 25, marked the occasion with an “obligatory birthday post” on her Instagram consisting of recent and throwback photos and footage of Dakota, who she called “Dirty flirty quirky and purdy” in a caption.

“Anyone who knows Dakota knows she has dreamt of turning 30 since she was a teenager,” wrote Elle. “February 23, 1994 the world got brighter and more beautiful. I could sit and listen to you talk for hours, in fact that is my favorite place to be…absorbing your advice, your fascinating view of the world (things you ARE and AREN’T “interested” in).”

Elle, who referred to her fellow actress by her pet name “Cody,” added that she “always felt safest with you by my side. She is the epitome of what a big sister should be. She’s absolutely nuts 😂but will fight for her friends till the bitter end. I love you I love you I love you.”

The post’s gallery included a shot of Dakota toasting with a martini, holding a piglet alongside her sister and posing for other photos — including with Sesame Street characters as a child. 

Elle also included a snippet of the Man on Fire star in close-up declaring, “I’m just not interested.” Another video showed Dakota laughing and making a reference to her birthday: “See you February 23rd, 2024!”

The sisters have remained close throughout their respective Hollywood careers. In December, Dakota appeared at the premiere of the Broadway show Appropriate, in which Elle currently stars opposite Sarah Paulson. 

The Georgia-born duo have worked together onscreen and off, and in 2021 launched production company Lewellen Pictures, whose projects include the Elle-led The Great and The Girl from Plainville.

In 2019, Dakota opened up about her bond with her sister, telling Shape the two are “really close.”

“We’re very different,” she added at the time, “but we’re very connected. We don’t talk every day, but we don’t have to. We just have that special bond… There’s no one I want to succeed more in this business than my sister, and I know she wants the same for me."

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The two have frequently shared glimpses of their sisterly bond on social media. In April of last year, Dakota celebrated Elle’s 25th birthday. “My confidante, my truth-teller, my person in all lifetimes,” she captioned a sweet photo of them embracing. “Being your sister is a dream. Happy birthday angel, i love you the most.”

Dakota stars as Marge Sherwood in the upcoming Andrew Scott-led drama series Ripley.