Dakota & Elle Fanning Take Lie Detector Tests

You and I are both in a group chat dedicated

to how hot this man is.

And you once called him- The hottest man

I've ever seen in my life.

Sex on legs, baby, hallelujah!

Would you leave your boyfriend

if Jack Black declared his love for you?

[Elle exhales sharply]

[Interviewer] Dakota, Elle, we've brought you here today

to take a lie detector test.

One of you will be hooked up to the machine

while the other will ask the questions,

and then you'll switch.

This is Stephanie, our polygraph operator.

Hi, Stephanie. Hi, Stephanie.

[both laughing]

[Interviewer] Who wants to be in the hot seat first?

Well, Dakota was born first,

so I think she should go first.

I'll go first, that's good, I'm happy to.

Okay, yeah, you're not, she's been saying

that she was gonna beat the test all day, so.

She said this her whole life actually, that she's like,

If I ever did a lie detector test, I could beat it.

So we'll see.

[suspenseful music] [machine zapping]

Put this around your chest.

Sounds good. Raise your arms up for me.

You are under arrest.

[both laughing]

Oh, you really strapped in there.

[Dakota exhales sharply]

To begin, I'm going to ask you a few questions

to calibrate the machine.

Okay.

Is your full name Hannah Dakota Fanning?

Yes. [laughing]

Is the person sitting across from you your little sister?

Yes.

Are you about to take a polygraph test?

Yes.

Are you nervous?

I just started to get a little nervous,

but I think I'm okay.

Stephanie?

[both laugh]

Are we calibrated?

The machine has been calibrated.

Okay, ready to go.

[impactful music]

All right, first question.

Dakota, last year, well, you say this all the time,

I can attest to, but you said

that you think you're a better liar than me

and can always tell when I'm not telling the truth.

Do you still think that's the case?

Yes, I do. [laughs]

Is that? That is the truth.

That is though.

I knew it.

Does being a good actress just mean you are a good liar?

No. That is the truth.

When we were little,

we would put on skits including one

where you pretended to give birth to me.

Correct.

Yep, I would come out of your back.

Correct. [laughing]

Crying like a baby. Back, I mean.

[Elle] Yeah, I would be under your back

and then through. You be under the love sack.

Looking back, do you think

our mom should have been more concerned by this behavior?

No, not at all, we were preparing for-

Roles of a lifetime, yeah. Roles of a lifetime.

[Dakota laughs]

She's telling the truth. Telling the truth.

Do you think we should reprise these roles someday?

I do not. Yeah.

I do not need to give birth to you, no.

Do you think this was the weirdest skit we did as kids?

No. [laughs]

Is that true? That is truthful.

[both laugh]

I can think of a couple.

Me too. Yeah.

Not to be said. [laughs]

No, no, I'm not saying those.

Do you identify with stereotypical older sister behavior?

Yes. I agree.

I also agree.

[Dakota laughing]

So you would say you're naturally bossy.

Yes. Yes.

Truth. Truth.

And I can attest, truth.

[Dakota giggling]

Do you think our mom was more strict with you

than she was with me?

Yes.

What is that?

That is also the truth.

It's your own truth.

Well, isn't that what this is?

Yes. You know, this is my truth.

It's about your- Yeah.

Okay, so your character in Twilight, Jane,

is a vampire who is able to create sensations of pain.

Do you think that's an adequate metaphor

for being an older sister?

No, I wasn't like that with you.

That is a lie.

What?

[Elle screaming]

We got her.

Elle tormented me. Yeah, exactly.

So do you think you were a bully to me when we were kids?

Not at all, no.

Stephanie?

The machine is picking up some deception.

[both chuckling]

Okay, I was maybe a bully in, like, the mind game way.

Yeah, manipulator. But you were physical.

Yes, yeah.

Pinching and like, biting and-

Hitting, yeah. Yes.

But you would mess with my mind.

But I would definitely mess with your mind.

Yeah. So it depends on what you-

Say I am adopted even though

we literally look the same, so.

Yeah, psychological bullying, not a physical bully.

Okay.

That was the truth. That's the truth.

Be honest, did you ever get sick

of playing a kidnapped child when you were younger?

No.

Inconclusive.

[Dakota and Elle laughing]

Inconclusive, so funny.

Some days you were just, you're over it.

Well, I'm just trying to think it wasn't,

to me it doesn't feel like that many times.

[Elle] Yeah.

But maybe it was more times

than I'm remembering. Trapped.

Oh, yeah. Man on Fire.

Well, yeah.

Taken, I don't know, it's in the title.

True, yeah.

I was in an episode of The Practice where I was kidnapped.

Do you think you should only get to play kidnappers now

that you're an adult to even the scales?

I'd play a kidnapper,

I don't think that I should only, but yeah, a little-

This is yes or no. Yeah, sure, sure.

You think you should only play kidnappers?

Not only, that's what I'm saying, not only.

Yeah, so no.

So no. Yeah.

Truth. Truth.

Do you ever have real fear

that you'd be kidnapped as a child after all of these rules?

No.

That is the truth.

What about being swept away on a whimsical adventure with,

it has a word here that I can't pronounce,

but you would probably know how to pronounce it. [laughing]

Keep that in the video, Jesus.

An anthropomorphized cat.

Do you even know what that means?

Anthropomorphized, right? Oh God, screw you.

Okay, so that's the question.

Go back, I missed that one.

What about being swept away on a whimsical adventure with-

Say the cat in a hat,

just say the cat in a hat.

With an anthropomorphized cat.

Still no, still no.

Did I get sick of it, what is the question?

It just says what about being swept away?

So basically, did you have a fear of being swept away?

Oh, no, no fear, no. No.

She's telling the truth. Truth.

You starred in The Secret Life of Bees with this woman.

Yes, Jennifer.

Has she invited you on her talk show yet?

She has not.

That is the truth. Truth, but be real.

Have you practiced

what moves you would do in her spirit tunnel?

I am terrified of the spirit tunnel. [laughs]

Like, I am scared to be in the spirit tunnel.

So no, I have not practiced the moves of the spirit tunnel.

Do you feel a little bad

that her employees have to invent a new song

and dance every day for their guests?

No.

You don't feel bad? No, they like it.

[Elle laughs]

She's telling the truth.

Clearly, they love it.

[Elle laughs]

Okay. They love it.

Okay, you're probably the only person

to give an acceptance speech

while being hoisted by the armpits by Orlando Bloom.

Yes, there we are, I mean.

You thanked some really funny people in that speech.

Everyone in the history

of the world, yeah. In the history of the world,

you thanked in that speech. Yes.

Have you ever tried

to lift him now that you're both adults?

No.

She's telling the truth.

How often are you faking that you remember people

in the industry from when you were a kid?

Less often than one might think.

Yes or no?

Elle, less often than you might think.

Yeah, I guess that's a little,

that's not really a yes or no question.

How often are you faking that you remember people

in the industry from when you were a kid?

Less often than you think. Okay.

So, the truth?

You can tell if I'm telling the truth.

I wasn't detecting any deception.

Yeah, okay. Yeah, it doesn't have

to be yes or no only. Less often than you think.

Okay.

Do people still say to you,

I remember you when you were this big?

Yes. Tell the truth,

is that annoying?

Sometimes, yes.

That is the truth.

That's universal, you know?

I think everybody gets annoyed by that sometimes.

If mom was here and knew that you were strapped

to a lie detector, what do you think she would ask you?

Do you have any tattoos?

I mean, she knows you don't. She knows

I don't have any tattoos. I know.

Probably just, like, question me in general.

I know, on what? I can't think

of anything specific.

I know I can't really either.

Have you ever lied to me, but yes.

[both laughing]

Probably. Yeah,

Oh my God! Oh my God!

Okay, okay, that's the end.

Oh! Did you lie at any point

during this interview and we didn't catch you?

No, I actually didn't.

You did lie once where we caught you.

I didn't mean to. What?

Was there any question you were afraid I was going to ask?

No. Okay.

Done? Done.

All right, okay.

Okay, here we go.

Elle, I'm going to ask you a few questions

to calibrate the lie detector.

Okay.

Is your full name Mary Elle Fanning?

Yes.

Is the person sitting across from you your big sister?

Yes.

Are you nervous? Yes.

[both laughing]

Are we good to go, Stephanie?

The machine has been calibrated.

Okay, here we go.

You auditioned to be on Friends

and didn't get the part, but I did.

It was different parts. Okay.

Yeah.

You then refused to watch it.

Have you still not watched Friends out of spite?

No, I watch Friends now.

Okay. Inconclusive.

What? What?

I've seen every episode. [laughing]

What about have you seen the episode that I'm on?

Yes. Oh.

It's towards the end. Stephanie?

Actually, it looks like she's telling the truth.

Okay. Okay.

My heart's beating so fast.

Do you ever not watch my projects

because you wish you were in them?

No.

That is the truth.

So you've seen everything I've been in?

No.

Believe that.

Can you name this film?

Yes, Dreamer.

Stephanie?

It looks like she's telling the truth.

Yeah, I [indistinct].

I know, I'm just doing my due diligence

so that you're...

Okay, you are playing young Effie Trinket

in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel.

Do you think Effie Trinket would approve of-

This look? Yeah.

Yes.

She's telling the truth.

Yes, I do. Yes, yes.

I think it's actually very Effie Trinket.

Yeah. Yeah.

That's cute. Yeah, super cute.

It's on those clocks, but.

[Dakota] What's on the clocks?

I don't know, Sesame Street, I think.

I don't know. I don't know.

Inconclusive.

[both laughing]

Okay, Tom Cruise gifted me

a Motorola Razor for my 11th birthday.

Be honest, were you a little jealous?

No.

That is a lie.

[Elle laughs]

Please, you weren't jealous

that Tom Cruise gave it to me, you were jealous

of the phone. Of the phone, yeah.

You wanted the phone. Yeah.

Everyone wanted the phone.

I had no one to call on the phone.

I just wanted the phone.

You and I are both in a group chat

dedicated to how hot this man is.

And you once called him- Hottest man

I've ever seen in my life

Sex on legs, baby. [laughing]

I can't even look at it.

It's like hallelujah. [laughs]

And you once called him the perfect man.

Would you leave your boyfriend

if Jack Black declared his love for you?

[Dakota chuckles]

Oh, that is taking

a long time, Jesus! No, no.

No, I would not, I would not, no.

Stephanie?

The machine is picking up some deception.

[both laughing]

Gus doesn't care. No, by the way,

when you met Jack at the Golden Globes.

Yes, Gus yelled to him and said,

You're her hall pass, by the way.

Yeah, he's aware. So he's aware.

I mean, maybe Jack Black will watch this year.

You never know.

Would you appear in the next Minecraft movie

just to get closer to him?

Yeah.

She is telling the truth.

Do you think expensive adaptations

of video games will save cinema?

I don't know. [laughs]

I don't know. Is that the truth?

I don't know.

It looks like you're telling the truth.

Yeah, yeah. I don't know either.

I'm not sure,

maybe if Jack Black's in it. Okay.

You've spent a lot of time around this person.

Yes. The world needs to know,

does he smell good?

Yes.

She is telling the truth.

Yeah.

What does he smell like?

He doesn't have like a strong odor, I would say.

You've been around him too.

Yeah, I wouldn't be able to tell you.

You wouldn't be able to say like, fresh, clean.

I'm picking up like New York bagel.

I don't know, he eats a lot of bagels.

A warm, fresh New York bagel.

Yeah, sure Okay.

Stephanie? She's being truthful.

[Elle laughs]

Did his very long nails freak you out at all on set?

Honestly, yes.

That is the truth. Yeah.

I mean, I understand.

Did you give him any advice

on how to keep them clean and shapely?

No, I hardly have nails myself.

His nails were longer than mine on set.

[Dakota laughs]

Also, the truth.

You once played my future granddaughter

in Charlotte's Web.

Would you say I have a lot in common

with the average grandmother?

What, I don't even remember this.

I don't even remember playing your granddaughter.

Maybe I think the scene was cut.

But you filmed it.

Oh, would you have a lot in common with the grandmother?

Would you say that I have a lot in common

with the average grandmother?

No. Truthful.

Okay, thank you very much.

Do you think I give off any grandmother vibes in this photo?

No, I don't.

That is truthful.

Okay, would you like to reveal

on the record what was happening in this photo?

Okay, first of all, you were not looking

at my butt in a disgusting way.

You were, like, dancing and doing, like,

a stank face basically.

[Dakota laughs]

Yeah, I got caught

in a bad moment. That's what you were doing.

You got caught in a bad moment.

[Dakota] Totally.

And we were in Miami at our friend's bachelorette party,

and it was my birthday that night as well.

Yes. Yes.

When was the last time you danced on a table?

Probably this, I'm not sure.

Will you dance on a table with me after this?

Right now? [laughs]

At some point in the future,

we'll dance on a table again. Yes, yes.

Truthful. Okay.

We both appeared on the talk show, Ellen, as kids.

Do you think you were a better dancer than me?

Yes.

[Dakota laughs]

That is the truth.

Is it because I popped out my retainer

when I was on the show as a 10-year-old?

No, not the reason.

That was totally normal to me.

Yeah.

Have you re-watched

any of these old Ellen interviews as an adult?

Yes. Thoughts?

You had really messed up teeth.

[both laugh]

I talk about my teeth a lot on talk shows.

I know, you had headgear and all that.

Sometimes it makes you emotional though,

'cause you blush.

She is just getting emotional.

Shady. I know, so sad.

I know, why is it so sad?

I don't know, watching young-

Watching someone have headgear?

Well, no, not even that.

Just like you talking when you were young.

Okay. It's just sweet.

I hope there's someone out there

that also had headgear and knew they weren't alone.

Do you think you're better

at press now than you were as a kid?

Yes.

Truthful. Okay.

You were good a little too, you were very cute.

Stressed me out.

We're both obsessed with the TV show, The Simple Life.

Do you think we're deserving

of our own madcap reality show?

I think we are deserving.

Yeah. Yes.

You do. She is being truthful.

Yes.

Will we ever do it?

No. No.

[Elle laughs]

But if we did, what would be the premise?

A day in the life. A day in the life.

I mean, every day, just...

One dinner. Yeah, one dinner, yeah.

It would be anything.

Yeah. Okay.

In The Simple Life,

Paris and Nicole try out lots of different jobs.

Do you think I could make it

in this job market if I quit acting?

No, no, in this job market as a like-

Lie detector, as Stephanie?

Oh, like the global job market.

[Elle laughs]

Yes, yes.

Stephanie?

She's being honest.

Will you suggest a back,

you on the other hand, Jesus.

I'm fine with that.

I accept my strength.

Totally, will you suggest a backup career for me?

Lawyer.

Everyone in the family says that.

We've been through this.

Do you think you could make it

in the job market if you quit acting?

Yes. Yes.

True. What would you do?

Well, I don't know.

What do you think I would do?

What do you think I would do?

I don't know, I don't know.

Not in a bad way.

I know. I just never pictured

you doing anything else, something creative.

I know, me neither. Creative artist or-

But if you say that, it's like,

it's kind of the similar thing in a way.

I always thought I would make miniatures.

I would make dollhouses.

Yeah, you would do something kind of cookie.

Like hereditary. Something specific.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, niche.

Make miniatures. Yeah, make miniatures.

Lawyer, my daughter is a lawyer and makes miniatures.

Well, if mom was here and knew you were strapped

to a lie detector, what do you think she would ask you?

It's really hard. It's really hard.

It would definitely be, have you ever lied to me?

And we would say, yes. And we would say

obviously yes.

And Stephanie would say, yes.

Have we ever lied to our mom?

I mean, who hasn't? Yes, I know.

Did you lie at any point during this interview

and we didn't catch you?

No.

Stephanie?

She's being truthful. Yeah.

Was there any question you were afraid I was going to ask?

No, no, you know everything.

That was not truthful.

[both laugh]

Right at the end, right at the end.

Big liar right at the end.

[both laugh]

Save the best for last.

[impactful music]