AGE: 9
HOMETOWN: Georgia. She now lives in L.A.
CATCH HER As clean and tidy Sally Walden in the new Dr. Seuss movie, The Cat in the Hat, alongside funnyman Mike Meyers, who plays the oh-so-famous cat.
CAUGHT IN THE ACT: Dakota got into acting when she went away to a drama camp. "You study for the play and then do the play at the end of the week." Dakota shined so brightly her instructors recommended to her mother that her born-to-be star daughter pursue acting. "My mom got with an agency, and the agency sent me out to L.A. for six weeks. It ended up being for three years."
FROM BOOK TO BIG SCREEN: Dakota is a huge fan of Dr. Seuss and his books. But bringing a book to life? "I think everybody felt like they had a big responsibility to sort of make Dr. Seuss's wife proud. We really tried to keep his legacy going and we really had a fabulous time doing it and it was lots of fun. We actually got to meet Mrs. Seuss, and she was amazing."
ON THE SET Hangin' out in Dr. Seuss's world? Sounds like fun! "It was so fun; the sets were the most fun part, because we had all these colors and crazy things always happening."
STUNT SISTER: Dakota and costar Spencer Breslin (Conrad Walden) did all their own stunts, so they actually went to a sort of stunt school where the stunt crew taught them all their tricky tricks! Which one will you remember most? "When the cat's tail wacks me and I get thrown back on the couch."
MAD ABOUT MIKE: How many goofy moments does Mike Meyers rack up in one day? "He did something every day that was absolutely hysterical. And we would laugh all day about it. He would tell 40 jokes and they would all be hilarious. He is the most amazing and wonderful person and I loved working with him."
FAMOUS FRIENDS: Dakota loves to make friends with all the costars she comes across. One girl at the top of her list? Brittany Murphy. "She's my big sister."
STAR STRUCK: Despite her nine-year-old stardom, Miss Fanning is not exempt from experiencing an "Ohmigod" when she sees a certain celeb. "It's like you can't imagine that you're sitting next to this person. I just did a movie with Denzel Washington, then one with Mike [Meyers] and Robert DeNiro, and you can't imagine that you're actually within range of this person. So it's kinda like, "Am I sure I'm not dreaming?'"
MERRY MAID: Dakota relates to her character Sally because they are both totally tidy. She's so tidy that even her teacher talks about it. When Dakota walks by, her teacher says, "There goes Miss Merry Maid from the Merry Maid Company, special ordered!"
MOTHERLY LOVE: "My mom. She is the most unbelievable mom that you could ever have in your entire life and she's always with me on everything. The most I've ever been away from her is two days. I love her more than anybody could ever know."
SWEET SUCCESS: Ever wish you were famous at the age of nine? Don't worry; this girl doesn't take a second for granted. "I just feel so blessed to be able to do it, because it's unbelievable to work with these great actors that I have worked with and I have all these friends that I've made on sets that I'll have all my life. That's the best part about it."
