Every great actor has an equally fantastic mother standing by their side, proud of everything they accomplish. Have you ever noticed how almost every actor praises their mother during their Oscar speech?
But someone ought to give Dakota and Elle Fanning’s mother a prize because she helped only the two young actors at the same time and mostly managed to steer them through their early fame into adulthood without incident. That’s impressive, particularly in light of the fact that Heather Joy Arrington didn’t even want her kids to pursue acting careers.
While Arrington has always worked hard to advance Dakota and Elle’s careers, both past and present, there is one aspect of fame with which she struggles. She is an extremely private and shy person. Because of this, she rarely appears with her daughters on their red carpets. However, the Fanning sisters don’t take offence to it and accept her desire for privacy. They adore her without conditions.
What is known about the supermom’s relationship with her famous daughters and her life behind the scenes?
She Tried to Giver Her Daughters A Normal Childhood
Arrington does not fit the stereotype of an angry stage mom, which is frequently held against mothers of famous children.
Elle praised her mother’s dedication and said that moving the family to Los Angeles was “a child’s fantasy” that required “so much sacrifice.” When Dakota’s career was beginning, the Fanning family relocated from Georgia to Los Angeles. Not far following her older sister was Elle. Elle praised their mother for making the sacrifice, saying, “I have the luxury of knowing what I want to accomplish because of her.”
Arrington is an expert on pursuing your aspirations. She received a tennis scholarship to attend college, and she later went pro. Rick Arrington, her father, was quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. Steven Fanning, the father of the Fanning sisters, is a sports enthusiast who formerly played minor league baseball.
Elle admitted to The Guardian, “I have the sports drive.” “I am powerless because it runs in my family. I believe that actors and sports are similar. You have a goal in mind, and you like a challenge. Either you’re getting ready for the role or you’re getting ready for the game. When you have a major scene to perform, the adrenaline is enormous.”
Arrington unquestionably supported athletics. Dakota was able to play the sport by the time she was just two years old, even though her professional mother had anticipated that her daughter would follow in her footsteps. Unfortunately for Arrington, Dakota instead became interested in acting.
I was definitely being prepared to play tennis, Dakota said The Scotsman. “My parents and grandparents understood I was naturally athletic and could certainly perform well if pushed to compete. However, all I wanted to do was pretend.”
Arrington would make sure the girls behaved properly while pursuing their acting professions if they were going to do so. Elle warned them that Arrington would retaliate if they ever misbehaved in front of someone else “humiliate us in their presence. You know, anything like, “You interrupted, and I’m not addressing your question.”” The expression “go back and apologise” was well-known to the sisters.
As you may have seen, the sisters also use their middle names instead of their real names. Dakota’s first name is Hannah, whereas Elle’s is Mary. Arrington, who also goes by her middle name, didn’t make this choice to keep her children safe. Elle said that it might be be another characteristic of the South.
But soon Dakota’s name was well-known worldwide, and her career as a child celebrity took off. She surprised everyone during her I Am Sam audition, which was her first major part. She was previously described as having “an old spirit” by Steven Speilberg, although that was a result of the way her parents spoke to her.
Dakota told The Scotsman, “My parents never spoke to me like I was a child. “I suppose that’s why people perceive me as mature. I believe I was a little bit frightful. I was, however, my mother’s first kid. She believed it to be typical.”
The Fanning sisters’ adult responsibilities after having great careers as children were probably safer for them to handle because of their maturity. They undoubtedly felt more grounded and connected to their roots after inviting their Southern belle grandmother to move in with them. When the girls were younger, she even taught them at home.
Arrington Is Shy
According to Dakota, the Fanning family wasn’t brought up to “To those who aren’t your relatives or friends, air your dirty laundry. Why would I ever want to project a different image of myself than one of unity?”
But Arrington isn’t just against publicising grievances. She dislikes the spotlight entirely because she is very reserved. Elle remarked of her mother, “I dare you to find a picture of my mom on the Internet that isn’t a paparazzi snap of her strolling with us.”
Unexpectedly, Arrington distanced herself from her daughter’s professional endeavours. Naturally, she helped them and supported them, but when it came to their profession, “She didn’t want the stress of feeling connected, in my opinion. She was never in charge of us.” She is therefore unquestionably the antithesis of Kris Jenner, the largest mother there is.
When People revealed Arrington’s divorce from Fanning in 2018, certain embarrassing details were revealed and her privacy was violated. After 25 years of marriage, they separated, and the actresses made no mention of their parents’ divorce.
But after that, the sisters looked forward to spending lockdown time with their mother and grandmother. “We don’t often get to spend time together. Consequently, we’re having a good time together “Il a dit.
Knowing the source of the Fanning sisters’ motivation is fantastic. Even if she is a little disappointed that the girls didn’t pursue sports the way she had hoped they would, Arrington must be so proud of the extremely hard-working girls she raised.
