Elle Fanning Reveals She Lost Out On Film Franchise Over Low Instagram Followers—And Fans Have Theories

Elle Fanning was recently on Josh Horowitz’s podcast Happy Sad Confused.

During the interview, the actress spoke about losing out on a major film franchise.

The reason?

Not enough Instagram followers.

She said:

“I’m not going to say what it was, but I didn’t get a part once for something big because—it might not have just been this reason, but this was the feedback that I heard—was because I didn’t have enough Instagram followers at the time.”

She continued:

"I firmly don't believe in not getting a part [for that reason]. But yeah, I would not say no to those [opportunities to star in a franchise]."

It is unclear at what point The Great star was in her career when she was passed up, but she now has 6.2 million Instagram followers.

Some thought she was referring to Sophie Turner in Dark Phoenix after an internet sleuth found a quote from Turner.

In an interview with Net-A-Porter, Turner said:

“‘A lot of what I have achieved is about timing and luck, but it is also, and I hate to say it, about a big social-media following."

"I auditioned for a project and it was between me and another girl who is a far better actress than I am, far better, but I had the followers, so I got the job. It’s not right, but it is part of the movie industry now."

The internet is reeling at this discovery.

The early snub hasn't derailed Fanning's success.

The actor currently stars in The Great, completed the true crime miniseries The Girl From Plainville in 2022 and is reported to have another 4-5 projects in pre-production.