Elle Fanning has revealed she once missed out on a role in another big franchise because she "didn't have enough Instagram followers". In a recent interview with Josh Horowitz on his Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Maleficent star said she doesn't feel any pressure to appear in blockbuster titles in order to stay "relevant".
"You also don't know if they're going to work sometimes, which is scary," Fanning confessed, admitting that joining the likes of Marvel, DC, and Star Wars can often boost an actor's profile.
"I did try out for… I'm not going to say what it was, but I didn't get a part once for something big because – it might not have just been this reason, but this was the feedback that I heard – was because I didn't have enough Instagram followers at the time," she recalled. "So that was a little like… I firmly don't believe in not getting a part [for that]. It was for a bigger thing, a franchise thing."
Fanning, who now has 7 million followers on Instagram, is currently promoting season 3 of popular period drama The Great, which she stars in opposite Nicholas Hoult. Hoult has previously opened up about not securing parts in Top Gun: Maverick and The Batman.
"I would never say no to those things, but I would have to have a meeting and really talk to see what it is," Fanning added. "I didn't have to go through what Nick did... they made him try the [Batman] suit on. You need a balance. If you want to do your indie work, especially in producing now… [having a big franchise] does make you breathe better."
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