The comments come after Sophie Turner previously spoke about landing a role opposite a "better actress" with fewer fans.
Sometimes the number of followers on Instagram does count in Hollywood castings. Elle Fanning, one of the most renowned actresses who has been working in the industry since she was little, has spoken on the Happy Sad Confused podcast about how her now 6.2 million followers cost her losing a role.
She talked about how she doesn't feel pressured to join a franchise movie about superheroes like Marvel, even if she has "done" something with other actors' careers when she tells the story.
He added, via Variety, that "I did try out for... I'm not going to say why, but I didn't get the part for something big because - maybe it wasn't just for this reason but, this was the feedback I heard - because "I didn't have enough followers on Instagram at the time. So that was like... I can't believe I didn't get the role (for that). It was a big deal, a franchise thing."
Elle Fanning expressed her continued openness to the prospect of accepting a role in a franchise, highlighting her willingness during an interview. She emphasized her approach, stating, "I would never say no to those things, but I would need to have a meeting to talk about what it really is."
Fanning pointed out the importance of finding a balance, contrasting her experience with that of Nicholas Hoult, who underwent the unusual process of trying on the Batman suit during auditions for the role eventually taken by Robert Pattinson. She underscored the need for equilibrium, especially when navigating between independent projects and potential franchise engagements, acknowledging the latter's alleviating effect on the creative process.
While Elle Fanning refrained from disclosing details about the specific film or the actress who secured the role she lost, fans drew connections to Sophie Turner's similar revelation in 2017. Turner had shared a story about landing a role over a "best actress" due to her Instagram followers. Although it remains unclear if Turner was referencing Fanning, the parallel stories contribute to the ongoing discourse about the impact of social media followers on casting decisions within the film industry. Elle Fanning's comments add weight to the voices of actresses discussing the influence of followers on the casting process, prompting further reflection on the dynamics of fame in the modern entertainment landscape.
Turner told Porter (via The Telegraph UK) in 2017, "I auditioned for a project that was between a girl who was a much better actress than me and myself, but I had fans, so I got the part. It's not right, but now It's part of the film industry."
Turner did not specify the role, but she did say that she acted as Jean Gray in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), as a young woman, one of the biggest franchises at the time.
