Elle Fanning has had quite the career, so it’s almost hard to believe that this season she received her very first Academy Award nomination. She was a surprise contender for her performance in Sentimental Value, which received a number of Oscar nominations. Of course, many big Hollywood names rushed to congratulate Fanning on the incredible achievement, including stars like Julianne Moore, Brie Larson and Tessa Thompson. But truthfully, one of the most meaningful comments came from her sister Dakota, whose sweet response made my heart swell.
In a recent Instagram post, Elle documented herself FaceTime-ing Sentimental Value director Joachim Trier, crying happy tears and reacting to the 2026 Oscar nominations. She was emotionally overwhelmed and the filmmaker was beaming with pride that the young starlet got her Best Supporting Actress nomination. She captioned her post, in part:
IS THIS REAL!?!?!?! IS THIS A DREAM!?!?!?! I can’t catch my breath. I am in absolute shock. What an honor to have my first Academy Award nomination be for a film that acknowledges the power of moviemaking and family! My Mom, Grandma, Sister, and Aunt were here with me this morning to scream and hug and cry.
Elle wasn’t the only one in Sentimental Value who got a nomination. Renate Reinsve got a Best Actress nod for her lead performance, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas also got nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and Stellan Skarsgård, who has been hilarious this awards season, got a Best Supporting Actor nod after taking home the Golden Globe for his performance. There’s a lot of love for the 2025 Norwegian drama to go around, but it seems like the most love is coming from Elle’s sister, Dakota, who is no stranger to awards nominations herself. She commented:
I am the proudest sister today and every day. My best friend. My person. I love you.
This response is beyond sweet and shows that these two are really close.
Dakota Fanning, in a lot of ways, was a big role model for her sister. She paved the way in Hollywood, taking on child acting roles and sustaining a steady career into adulthood. She even received her first Emmy nomination last year for her performance in the limited series Ripley.
Her sister Elle followed suit and has been absolutely astonishing in projects like The Great, Neon Demon, and A Complete Unknown. Clearly, after all these years, they’ve remained incredibly close, acting as touchstones for each other as they both navigate Hollywood. You can see Dakota’s comment and others on Elle’s post below:
Elle Fanning’s first Oscar nomination feels like more than just a long-overdue industry milestone; it’s a full-circle moment for the Fannings. These are two sisters have grown up together in an often unforgiving industry and emerged as each other’s biggest fans. Whether or not Elle takes home the Academy Award, she’s clearly got a lot of love on her side, which is in itself a huge win. It’s all so wholesome and yet another reason to root for Sentimental Value on Oscar night.
You can see Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value, which is in select theaters now. Critics are absolutely loving the Joachim Trier masterpiece, so make sure to see it on the big screen while you can. Also, fans of Dakota Fanning can see her in the hit miniseries All Her Fault, which is currently streaming with a Peacock subscription.