Cannes 2025: Interview with Elle Fanning, star of Sentimental Value

Interview by Violaine Schütz.

Maleficent, Somewhere, The Neon Demon, The Great, Super 8, A Complete Unknown… at just 27, American actress and producer Elle Fanning already boasts a long, impressive career. Yet, the L’Oréal Paris ambassador doesn’t rest on her laurels.

Sofia Coppola’s muse attended the 2025 Cannes Film Festival to promote Joachim Trier’s magnificent Sentimental Value, which won the Grand Prix during the closing ceremony. It was the perfect opportunity to open a fascinating conversation with the hugely-talented, doll-faced star.

Interview with Elle Fanning, star of Sentimental Value and L’Oréal Paris ambassador

Numéro: You are in Cannes to present Sentimental Value, a film directed by Joachim Trier. Could you tell us more about this feature film?

Elle Fanning: I’m so proud of this film. I love it and I loved making it. Joachim Trier has directed so many brilliant films. I’ve wanted to work with him for a long time. So I feel very lucky I had the chance to be part of it. We’re all here with the whole team. Honestly, it was really moving to witness such a warm reception (a nearly 20-minute standing ovation, ed.) at the premiere, because you never know how people will react to a film. I knew I loved it from the start. I had already seen it, but you never know. It was really special. Being in Cannes, a place that means a lot to me, made the experience even more special.

What role do you play in the film?

I play the role of Rachel Kemp, an American actress hired by Gustav, played by Stellan Skarsgård. He’s a Scandinavian filmmaker living in Norway and preparing to shoot his upcoming movie. He meets me at the Deauville Film Festival and offers me the role. So, I fly to Oslo. Rachel is a bit disoriented. She’s a major Hollywood star, very famous and with a large audience. But she’s at a low point in both her career and life. She’s seeking creativity and a grittier role that will allow her to express her talent and feel something. So, she turns to a foreign filmmaker, but ends up finding herself entangled in a family drama. And we soon discover she might not be the ideal person for the role.

“I’ve been lucky to work with many female directors and I want to keep doing so.” Elle Fanning

You are also in Cannes as a L’Oréal Paris ambassador…

I’ve been an ambassador for L’Oréal Paris for quite some time now! I should look up the exact year I started, but it’s been a while. It’s my favorite moment. I love coming to Cannes and being with the brand’s team. It’s a brand that supports women. It’s not just about beauty. It’s an experience in itself shared with the other ambassadors. I love it because I feel there’s a real message conveyed by the brand. It’s not just advertising, it’s a genuine lifestyle. The ambassadors are people I admire, from whom I’m learning a lot.

With the Lights on Women’s Worth Award, L’Oréal Paris shines a light on female filmmakers. What are your thoughts on the advancement of women in cinema?

Obviously, there’s still work to be done. But I think there’s been a real conversation about that and about promoting women’s voices in recent years. Especially with initiatives like the Lights on Women’s Worth Award, which allows emerging female directors to present their short films and launch their careers. I was a juror and participated in the selection last year. I met director Viv Li yesterday. She has won numerous awards thanks to L’Oréal Paris. She launched her career. There’s of course more work to do, but I’ve also been lucky to work with many female directors throughout my career, and I want to keep doing so and help them.

“Sofia Coppola has been like an aunt to me throughout my life.” Elle Fanning

Speaking of female directors, what have you learned from working with Sofia Coppola on Somewhere and The Beguiled?

I’ve learned so much. I first worked with her on Somewhere when I was 11. She was a real role model for me and an aunt figure throughout my life. I worked with her again at 18. We did a lot of photo shoots together and some fun commercials. We’ve remained very close since. She has a quiet strength. She’s both kind and assertive. It’s an incredible strength. I really admire that. She’s not afraid to speak her mind and has an amazing vision. You can always tell when you’re watching a film directed by Sofia Coppola. It bears her signature.

You appeared in many cult films, including The Neon Demon. Could you tell us more about that experience?

It was my first film to be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival. I was 18 years old and I’d never been here before. I attended the premiere, and it was very polarizing. It was acclaimed, but some people hated it, while others loved it. And I liked that. Because that’s also why I wanted to do it. I really wanted to work with Nicolas Winding Refn and I also wanted to challenge myself and shock people. I really enjoy creating a surprise. It’s one of my favorite films in my filmography. I haven’t seen it in a long time. I should probably watch it again, but it’s a little scary.

“My role choices come from a gut feeling.” Elle Fanning

How do you choose your roles?

I think that the film director is extremely important. I might even want to work with a debut director I’ve never worked with, simply because I love the story and the character. The other actors involved in the project are also essential in my decision. If there’s someone I’ve always wanted to work with in the cast, that’s a plus, because I know I’ll be able to learn from them. But it’s really instinctive. It’s a gut feeling. It’s quite inexplicable.

You are a producer too..

Yes, I also produce my own films and shows. I have a production company with my sister, Dakota (Fanning), called Lewellen Pictures. We’ve done a lot of things, including true crime documentaries. We had a film nominated for an Emmy, broadcast on Hulu, called Mastermind. It’s exciting. We’re carving out our place in that world.

“When I started in the film industry, I didn’t have any say or authority over my projects.” Elle Fanning

What has producing films changed in your career?

It has really changed a lot of things for me. I started working when I was 18 months and I grew up in this industry. My sister started at five or six years old, so we were both very young. At that age, you don’t really have a say or any authority over the projects you get. You go to auditions and people choose you. It’s not like you’re making the decisions. Just before 2020, my sister and I made that decision: “You know what? We want to have more power, and of course, keep it in the family. We’ll do it together. We work very well together and we have complementary strengths.”

You have made your mark in that industry then…

It has given me a lot of confidence to produce my own projects, to be involved in the editing process, and to have a say in the scripts and the people we want to hire. That’s crucial, because the team around you is the most important aspect on a film set. So, having that and being able to say: “Actually, I know what I’m talking about because I’ve been in this industry for quite some time” is valuable. Then you need to get comfortable with that confidence so you can express it to others as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk3Z6_a0RVk

Talking about that, what was your journey toward gaining confidence?

Like everyone, it’s a fluctuating journey I think. We live in a society where we are constantly comparing ourselves to others on social media, where we see a lot of images. Sometimes, we compare ourselves and don’t feel very comfortable with that. But I’ve learned to ask myself “what makes me different or unique?”, or rather “what makes us all so special?”. It would be so boring if we all looked the same and had the same personality, etc. Knowing my worth is still a work in progress. That’s also why I love L’Oréal Paris because they celebrate that. They have a very diverse community of women, representing all beauty types, and showing that beauty comes from within. That’s what ultimately matters.

A busy schedule

You have a lot of exciting projects coming up: Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Predator: Badlands, Rosebush Pruning, I Am Sybil, Hunger Games…

Sentimental Value will come out this year. Then, Badlands is part of the Predator franchise and I’m really excited by this project. It’s pretty wild and is going to be epic, I think. It’s a huge action movie by a major franchise, which is very different from what I’ve done before. It will be released in November 2025. Then, I’m also working on a TV series, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, starring Nicole Kidman and Michelle Pfeiffer, that I’m producing for Apple. My schedule is packed, but I like it that way. I’ll have some free time this summer.

What’s your favorite memory from the Cannes Film Festival?

Every year, L’Oréal Paris gives me a robe that I bring home with the brand’s logo that says: “I’m worth it”. They’re placed in the ambassadors’ hotel rooms so we can get ready in our robes. I love them, they’re very comfortable.

Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier premiered at the Cannes Festival 2025. Out in cinemas on August 20th, 2025.