Dakota Fanning recently opened up about motherhood in an interview with Byrdie, sharing her hopes to welcome children during her 30s.
“Every year that goes by, you’re more in tune with who you are and with what you want and don’t want,” she explained. “I’m associating this decade with the next part of my life. I’ve always wanted to have kids—that’s something I’ve never questioned and has always been really important to me. So, hopefully, dating will end soon, and this next decade will bring that into my life.”
Known for keeping her romantic relationships private, Dakota has been candid in the past about her strong desire to become a mother. In a 2024 interview with Porter, she shared, “Being an actor is a huge part of my identity. I don’t really know who I am without it. But I also have a desire to set up my life and career so that I always have a choice. Having kids is probably more important to me than anything, even being an actor.”
She continued, “If somebody said I had to choose, I would choose having kids. I’m one of those people who has always felt that pull.”
Dakota is likely to raise her future children away from the spotlight, having grown up in Hollywood as one of the industry’s most successful child stars. She first rose to fame at just seven years old with her award-winning performance in the 2001 film *I Am Sam*. Since then, she’s starred in hits such as *The Cat in the Hat*, *Man on Fire*, *War of the Worlds*, *Charlotte’s Web*, and *Coraline*.
Despite her early success, Dakota enjoyed a relatively normal childhood, thanks to her grounded parents, Steve and Heather. Reflecting on her upbringing in an interview with NJ.com, she said, “I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on any milestones. I think acting’s only enhanced my life. I’ve been to so many more places than the average 16-year-old, I’ve met so many people from so many walks of life. I feel really lucky, and I think it’s got a lot to do with my family.”
She added, “Our parents are so removed from this business, and so happy just to be our parents. I can honestly say I have a completely normal life. Probably more normal than normal people!”
Dakota shares a particularly close bond with her mother, a former professional tennis player. At the IndieWire Honors ceremony, she paid tribute to her mom’s sacrifices, saying, “She changed the course of her own life for me. She put her own dreams to the side so I could achieve mine. She allowed me to have my own independence and stand on my own two feet, to find my footing as a young woman and as an actor, but she was always there.”
https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/867004/dakota-fanning-makes-candid-confession-about-becoming-a-mother-in-her-30s/