Remember when you saw Dakota Fanning in War Of The Worlds and thought "you creepy little girl" or when you saw Dakota Fanning in Dreamer and thought the same thing – imagine what you'll think after you see her get raped in her new film.
Dakota Fanning is at Sundance to promote her new movie Hounddog, all about a little girl who gets raped a lot. There's probably more to Hounddog than that, but judging by the horrified outcry from the media and public you'd think the whole film was comprised of one long slowed-down take of Dakota Fanning being raped in the most disturbing and grizzly way imaginable. But, hey, even though she's only 12, Dakota Fanning has no time for criticism of the rape scene in Hounddog, and she's ready to beat the skulls in of anyone who says that a film about a young child being raped by an older man is tasteless.
Dakota Fanning isn't like most child actors; even in her most fluffy film roles, Dakota Fanning has brought an extraordinary maturity and gravitas to the part. Exhibit A – look at Dakota Fanning's jumpy, paranoid, haunted performance in the otherwise useless Hide & Seek, and then look at the big-toothed girl from Narnia. There's a world of difference. Sure, Dakota Fanning might one day fall foul of other Spielberg-friendly childstar fates – she might take cocaine like Drew Barrymore or get loaded on booze and pot and flip her car over like Haley Joel Osment – but for now it's hard to deny that she isn't gifted, even in crap like that lovely Dreamer movie about the horse.
Just to show how preternaturally talented she is, Dakota Fanning is in Sundance to discuss her new movie Hounddog, although you may know it better as Oh My God It's That Film Where Dakota Fanning Gets Totally Raped. To call Hounddog controversial would be a massive understatement – social groups are denouncing Hounddog left, right and centre with some religious groups even claiming that making a 12-year-old girl do a rape scene is illegal, despite the fact that the scene is less than a minute long, contains no nudity and was filmed in a way that would make Dakota feel as comfortable as possible. But USA Today reports that Dakota Fanning doesn't care what you think – she loved Hounddog:
Some who bashed the film's concept "were attacking my family and me, and that's where it got too far," says Fanning, 12, jabbing her finger into a table at a restaurant. "Pretty much everybody who talked about it attacked my mother, which I did not appreciate. That was extremely uncalled for and hurtful." … Fanning said that even if she hadn't been in the movie, she would want to see it… "I know my mom would take me to see it," said Fanning, who turns 13 in February. "You have to prepare your children for things that happen in the world. Everything isn't rosy."
There's no doubt that Hounddog will get Dakota Fanning noticed – even if only by audiences of horrified grown-ups weeping into their hands and screaming "Why did you stop making films about happy magical spiders, Dakota, WHY?" But the real reason we think Dakota Fanning starred in Hounddog was because she badly wants an Oscar next year, and if it takes an upsetting child rape scene to get it then that's what she'll do. We just hope that Dakota's Oscar plan works, or else next year she'll probably star in a movie where she's mutilated, forced into taking heroin and made to make harrowing animal porn films by an army of bukkake-loving paedophiles.
Or Cat In The Hat 2. Whichever one's more traumatic.
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Louis Louis Walsh says
I hope Dakota does get an oscar for this film because – as you said yourself a few days ago – Brad Pitt will be instantly on the phone to his agent shouting “You gotta get me one of them child-raping films that are so hot right now!”
otto says
Or perhaps Dakota chose to do Hounddog because she simply liked the script? When did she ever say she did it to get an Oscar? Oh, that’s right, she didn’t. btw I’m sure she thinks you’re pretty creepy too, Stuart.
Bob says
After reading all the comments that 12 year old Dakota Fanning made I feel she is more mature and smarter than anyone is giving her credit. It sounds like the rape scene is nothing more than an acting scene (logical rape) than a physical rape and I don’t see anything wrong with that. This happens in REAL life
Where was this Christian film critic or any of the Roman Film Critics when the movie “Pretty Baby” was shown. Maybe they weren’t Brook Shields fans or maybe they enjoyed the movie too much. Brook was playing a young child prostitute (about 11 or 12) and they showed her whole nude body alone and in some very racy scenes with older men. This is exploitation for you the Christian Critics and the Roman Catholic Critics who don’t know the difference.
Leave Dakota alone and allow her to mature as an artist and attack REAL exploited child issues.
If she were murdered in the film and it was very graphic this would not be an issue with them.
The Christian Coalition or whatever they call themselves should crawl back under the rock they came from and leave this film alone. They used to call a movie “Condemned” if had even one kissing scene or any physical human interaction scene in it thinking that good christians would stay away from such films. Guess who were the first to stand in line for tickets to these movies!!!
Keep up the good work Dakota….I’m rooting for you.
Erin from Canada says
You know, it never ceases to amaze me how people seem to forget by the time they reach a certain age just how well informed about the evils of the world we wereat 12.
I have no doubt whatsoever that a girl of 12 in this day and age knows what rape is (& sadly, many have experienced it by this age as well). I also have no doubt
that any girl Dakota’s age can distinguish between acting/pretend & actual physical violation/rape. These celebate old men and women calling for the banning of
this movie should try to remember what they knew by that age. They should also open their eyes & see that trying to shelter the youth of today from knowledge
does not help stop any of sort of undesirable behaviour (ie. teen sex, drugs, underage drinking, etc.), it only leads to teens believing that no adult understands them
& therefore no adult is source of good advice. Stop treating teens like they are 5 years old!
Etan says
The girl has a point, but I think people are partly reacting to her statement which could be seen as a little smart ass.
E – http://blog.ateava.com/
otto says
So Dakota is a smartass because she choses to defendher her family?
btw here is someone Children’s Rights Organization First Star is defending Hounddog:
http://digital50.com/news/items/BW/2001/07/14/20070129006014/childrens-rights-organization-first-star-speaks-out-in-defense-of-dakota-fanning.html
lyle says
i just read the story a bout dakotas movie hound dog when they made the coment a bout dakota bieng smartass that made me really mad
camilya say says
it is so wong to rape people becaues you dont know what happen to u inyour family why would you put that pain on somebody just bexause you cant get a date or somebody of your own
xtina 14years says
If you gyus just leave her alone to have her own life that she wants to.Hi dakota is me again xtina i love horses u knw.i love your movie Houndog AND IS PERFECT .Isaw some videos of the movie.I think you have a nice voice.keep it up your movie is great!!AND YOU PEOPLE LEAVE HER ALONE TO HAVE HER OWN LIFE FOR HEAVENS SAKE!!!!ITS BECAUSE YOU ARE JELOUS OF HER!!Talki again see ya
elly says
why are u guys always annoy her?leave her alone!!!are u like her?do u have a world record or an oscar award?U R JUST JEALOUS OF HER!!!!!!!!hi dakota,i am ur number 1 fan.hahaha,last night i dreamed about u that i was ur friend,lol.
camilya say says
because my name is camilya in people gone be thinking that i got rape why we had to have the same name
Serius says
the movie never even came out people are only talking by what they here so it doesn’t matter and also they used 3ccd editing camera’s so the guy never bumped up on her or anything.
I mean people attack this movie but what about pretty baby when 30 year old dudes were trying to get with that girl in that movie and she is naked the whole movie.
So why attack this movie, I can be biased about this movie I can see why everyonr attacks this movie is because Dakota always plays baby movies like she’s is younger than what shee is.
People only see her as 6 and not 12 or 13. The movie seen is pretty hardcore but you have to remeber that the directors and producers edited the camera to make it seem as if she was getting it but really she was not.
I mean I can see why people are uproaring over her naked body but they did the same thing in the movie Pretty Baby.
Seems like just because it’s 2007 and not 1978 things changed but you have to remeber this movie is a prototype to pretty baby.
Angel says
DON’T DO SEX!OR ELSE YOU ARE HAVING A BABY WHEN YOU DIDN’T WANT IT!PEOPLE WHO TELL PEOPLE THEIR ADDRESS YOU WILL BE RAPED MANIACS!
Kata says
The sad thing is that rape now can be stuck in a movie and considered entertainment.
Bob, my goodness, touchy aren’t we? I’m concerned for your blood pressure. You’re blustering on and on about ‘THOSE INTOLERANT CHRISTIANS!’ But of course its only the Christians who have to be tolerant, right? I mean, it would be totally outside the realm of reason for Bob to be tolerant of them, wouldn’t it?
Excuse me while I laugh my head off. Srsly.
Ragdoll Mender says
I agree wholeheartedly with Erin and Bob =]
kingcade says
i love u dakota fanning but i dont like hounddogs rap scene it not your fault its the producers u are a great actress
Jake says
paedophiles is not spelled correctly you stupid euro trash and your queen’s english is atrocious
Jake says
Angel, please stop taking drugs. You might give people the wrong idea of yourself…that being a coke addicted whore who flashes her goodies at supermarkets and shopping malls.
Charles says
Forget the rape scene. The poor girl had to fashion the most hideous short fringe of all time for the second half of the movie!!!