GRAZIA sits down with Hollywood star Elle Fanning in Cannes to discuss her role as the latest Rabanne girl, her next big project, and the ebbs and flows of being famous
In person, Elle Fanning embodies young, contemporary America. Or at least how Americans would like the rest of the world to view them: intelligent, worldly, vivacious, sensible, kind. On our screens of late, the 25 year old brought an 18th century Russian queen to life in louche, deeply irreverent comedy The Great (season three is now streaming on Stan in Australia). It is just another big credit to add to her already illustrious resume: Maleficent (and its sequel), The Beguiled, Mary Shelley, The Girl From Plainville, the list goes on. Indeed, it goes back to 2001 when Fanning was just two years old and already starring in big ticket films.
As she sits opposite me, sipping tea in a palatial hotel suite along La Croisette in Cannes, it’s like talking to a long-time girlfriend, one wise beyond her years. But as down to earth as Fanning is, she reminds me – in one simple anecdote – that she has been famous her entire life.
“I went to my other proms but the senior prom lined up on the same day as one of my film premieres. So, my date flew out [to Cannes], my Mum also flew out, and we had a prom night here.”
The year was 2016, the film was The Neon Demon starring Fanning, Keanu Reeves and Christina Hendricks, and the prom dress was Zuhair Murad couture. With all of her film credits, and some major milestone moments experienced through the lens of being a celebrity, it’s fitting for luxuriate Rabanne to tap Fanning as their latest ambassador and muse for their glamorous ‘it’ girl fragrance, Fame Parfum.
Sexier and darker than last year’s release, Fame Parfum reinforces the original formula’s heart of jasmine, creamy incense, and patchouli, the latter a synonym of sensual nights and being bold. An addictive layer of musk, known as helvetolide, is added for a new level of intensity, one that, like a famous actress, is sure to make itself known in a room, and guarantee a long-lasting sillage. The bottle features a black version of the iconic, ever-enduring Rabanne micro-mini. (Mr Rabanne presented a collection in 1966 titled Twelve Unwearable Dresses which showed off the dress, a piece constructed of square and rectangular aluminium plates joined with metal rings. Iterations were famously worn by Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot and Jane Birkin, and more recently, Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid).
Ahead, the girliest of girl chats with Elle Fanning who discusses the new fragrance, the transformative power of a Rabanne dress, how she gets ready for a night out, and the less shiny sides to being famous.
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