By Sarah Sluis
A teen actress who has yet to play a role in a teen-oriented film, Dakota Fanning will make her teen idolworthy debut by appearing in the Twilight sequel, New Moon, as Jane, a "sweet but sneaky" vampire.
Shrewdly, Fanning has played roles in both adult and family films throughout her career, never banking on her popularity with only one demographic. However, her choices have also led to a somewhat fractured screen persona. Many of her roles in family or children-oriented films could easily slip under the radar of someone who only saw her as a vulnerable child in thrillers and action films (Man on Fire, Hide & Seek, War of the Worlds) or the occasional role in an inter-generational female-oriented film (The Secret Life of Bees, Uptown Girls). Among films targeted towards children and their families, Fanning has starred not only in current release Coraline, but also big literary adaptations Charlotte's Web and The Cat in the Hat. Now that she's a teenager, she's chosen two teen-themed pictures for her next projects.
Her choice to appear in New Moon will be her second team-up with Twilight star Kristen Stewart, with whom she will co-star in The Runaways, a movie about the 1970s teen band. Stewart will play guitarist/songwriter Joan Jett, while Fanning will play lead singer Cherie Currie. While it's unknown exactly how they plan to script the rock biopic, hopefully the filmmakers will include a few juicy details of the rock star life. The transition from child to teen to adult actor is notoriously tough, but the strategic casting of Fanning (although let's ignore the indie film with the much publicized child rape scene, Hounddog, that inspired outrage) could propel her into a career like that of Jodie Foster or Drew Barrymore.
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