Kurt Russell’s Surprising Pick for Hollywood’s Top Actor
Kurt Russell has singled out Dakota Fanning as Hollywood’s finest, praising her skill and experience despite her youth. He rates her above many established stars, calling her the best in the business.
Most folks know Kurt Russell has long held Marlon Brando up as the gold standard for acting on the big screen. But with Brando gone since 2004, someone else had to take up the mantle in Russell’s eyes. Turns out, he didn’t have to look far or wait long. Just a few months after Brando’s passing, Russell found himself working alongside a new contender for the title of best living actor. Nearly twenty years on, his opinion hasn’t budged.
Russell once said Meryl Streep was the closest thing to a modern Brando, but she wasn’t quite it. She’s up there with the all-time greats, no doubt, but the person Russell rates highest is a bit of a curveball. When most people rattle off the best actors still working, you’ll hear names like Streep, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Anthony Hopkins. But for Russell, the standout is someone he shared the screen with in a fairly standard horse film.
Backing a Young Star
When Russell heard that Quentin Tarantino was auditioning a bunch of young actors for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, he didn’t hesitate to put in a good word for one of them.
“Quentin, Dakota Fanning is the best actress in Hollywood,”
he told him.
“She is absolutely the best actress in Hollywood. She is the best.”
Fanning was only ten when she worked with Russell on Dreamer back in 2005, but she’d already built up a solid CV. She’d acted alongside Denzel Washington in Man on Fire, Robert De Niro in Hide and Seek, Sean Penn in I Am Sam, and Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds. Russell was blown away by her talent, and he’s stuck to his guns ever since.
Impressing the Big Names
When Tarantino cast Fanning as Lynette ‘Squeaky’ Fromme, a member of the Manson Family, he put her through a tough audition. She managed to impress him by teaching herself not to blink at all during the scene. Tarantino was quick to agree with Russell’s assessment, saying,
“Kurt is right. She’s the best actress in Hollywood. She is obviously doing this. She has trained her eyes not to blink.”
Is Fanning really the best actor working today? Probably not, if you ask most punters. But there’s no denying she’s got serious chops. She’s been in the game for nearly 25 years, even though she’s only just hit her thirties. That’s a fair bit of experience for someone her age.
Experience Beyond Her Years
Russell’s been around the traps since the early 1960s, so he’s seen more than most in the industry. If he reckons Fanning’s the top of the heap, it’s worth paying attention. Tarantino, who’s not exactly easy to impress, backed him up too. Maybe it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds.
Fanning’s name might not come up straight away when people talk about the greatest living actors, but when two heavyweights like Russell and Tarantino are singing her praises, there’s probably something to it.