'Vicious' Exclusive Interview: Dakota Fanning

Moviefone speaks with Dakota Fanning about 'Vicious'. "I knew that it would be a very physically and emotionally demanding experience," Fanning said.

Dakota Fanning stars in 'Vicious.'

Premiering on Paramount+, digital and On Demand beginning October 10th is the new horror film ‘Vicious’, which was directed by Bryan Bertino (‘The Strangers’) and stars Dakota Fanning (‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’, ‘The Equalizer 3’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dakota Fanning about her work on ‘Vicious’, her first reaction to the screenplay and her character, the unusual gift and news her character receives, how she would react to that choice in real life, and the challenges of acting alone.

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Dakota Fanning stars in Paramount Pictures' 'Vicious.'

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of this character that you were excited to explore on screen?

Dakota Fannig: Well, when I first read it, I was very struck by the challenge of it all. I knew that it would be a very physically and emotionally demanding experience. I felt like I hadn't properly gotten to dive into a pure horror film, which I felt like this would really be that. Brian is obviously very skilled and prolific in that genre. So, I knew that I could trust him. Talking with him, I knew that the creative collaboration between us would be wonderful, and it was. So, I just felt like it was something that I hadn't done before, and I thought, why not give it a try?

Dakota Fanning stars in Paramount Pictures' 'Vicious.'

MF: Can you talk about Polly’s reaction to receiving this gift and the news about her future that comes with it, and how do you think you would react in real life if given the same information?

DF: Oh, my gosh, I don't know. I don't know that I would have gotten myself into the predicament that Polly did. If people ring my door, or ring my gate, I just pretend I'm not home. So, I don't know. But, that moment of her receiving the mysterious gift is the beginning of this kind of psychological battle that she ends up having with herself. When I first read the script and was thinking about it and thinking about like what would keep me grounded in this experience, I remembered I had this dream once that was a truly lucid dream where I woke up in the morning and didn't know if it had been real or not. It took place in my apartment, and I woke up and was like, “I've lost my mind”. You know what I mean? I really had one of those moments. It was crazy. So, that was my inspiration for this was the feeling that dream had given me. I feel like Polly is locked in that feeling throughout the whole film. That's a scary thing when the thing that is scaring you the most is yourself and your own thoughts. So, that was what I leaned into when I was making it. That would keep me grounded when things would get out of control, or I was trying to find something to hold onto. I would remember that crazy, scary dream that I had, and I'd go back into that feeling.

Dakota Fanning stars in Paramount Pictures' 'Vicious.'

MF: Finally, you spend a lot of the movie acting by yourself. Can you talk about the challenges of that and were you super excited on the few days when you did have a scene partner?

DF: Yes, I was thrilled when there were other people to act with for sure. They're obviously super important moments that involve other actors. But for the majority at the time, I am alone. I knew that would be something different, a challenge and something that I hadn't done before. Even though I developed such a strong rapport with the crew and with Brian and with Tristan (Nyby), the DP and so I never felt alone. I always felt like I had a collaborative support system around me and they may not have always been actors, but they were creative people, and we were all there on the same journey. So, even though I maybe looked alone, I never really felt alone. I always felt like I had them there to collaborate with. So that was nice.

'Vicious' will premiere on Paramount+ beginning October 10th.

What is the plot of ‘Vicious’?

A young woman (Dakota Fanning) must spend the night fighting for her existence as she slips down a disturbing rabbit hole contained inside a mysterious gift from a late-night visitor (Kathryn Hunter).