Joshua Horowitz caught up with Elle to discuss her new Hulu show The Great, how she’s spending her time in quarantine (lots of puzzles), plans to star opposite her sister Dakota Fanning in the future and more.

“The Great” star tells Access Daily‘s Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover that she and sister Dakota get a special treat from Tom Cruise every Christmas – and the superstar also sends Dakota a new pair of shoes for her birthday! Elle also reveals why the chance to work with Angelina Jolie on “Maleficent” was so special and teases that her upcoming series, in which she portrays Catherine the Great, is “not your classic period piece.”

Dakota and Elle Fanning have both been in show business since they were very young, but they’ve never really shared the screen together. All that will change when they take on their roles as sisters Vianne and Isabelle in the film adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s bestseller, Nightingale.

Though they both appeared in 2001’s I Am Sam, Elle, 22, tells ET’s Katie Krause that she doesn’t count that as sharing the screen with her older sis.

“Technically, in I Am Sam I played her at a younger age, so we weren’t really acting together and I was so young, so yeah, this is the first,” she says of her upcoming role in Nightingale.

The story follows two sisters torn apart at the start of World War II.

“Your sister knows you more than anyone. She can sniff anything out of you, she can push your buttons more than anybody,” Elle adds. “It’s like that dynamic is so special and unique, you’re family more than anybody. That’s the closest, she is my closest person. The book really explores that. They’re a bit misunderstood more in the book but still we have that foundation. That we won’t have to work hard for, that’ll be there.”

Unfortunately, the film was just about to start production when the coronavirus pandemic hit, putting a halt to filming on almost all major shows and movies.

“We haven’t shot it yet, so that’s the thing. We were about to go shoot and then everything happened, so it was kinda put to a halt and I know as much as you,” Elle admits.

But that doesn’t mean the actress isn’t busy. Even while quarantined at home with her family in Los Angeles, Elle is hard at work promoting her new Hulu period dramedy series, The Great, in which she plays Catherine the Great.

She co-stars alongside Nicholas Hoult, who was also on the video call to talk about their hilarious new project.

“Tony McNamara, who is our showrunner, creator, wrote the pilot and is the man,” Elle says of The Favourite scribe. “His tone and irreverence and just that dark humor is completely up my alley… It’s just such a fascinating way to tell that story full of humor and really delicious language. That’s so unique to Tony. And just Catherine as a character, I absolutely loved playing her. It was just the ultimate gift to be a part of this show and get to bring her to life and show our version of Catherine.”

Hoult, who plays Catherine’s husband, Peter III, noted that while there were a fair amount of sex scenes in the series, the physical acts were often set to highlight the conversation happening.

“I don’t think any of us make a big deal out of them. I think the thing with the sex scenes and this show is they’re kind of, they’re very perfunctory in terms of where the characters are aiming for, discussing during them,” he explains. “They were very funny to film, a lot of them. ‘Cause it was just bizarre.”

Elle notes that taking on more mature roles was not a conscious decision on the part of the former child star.

“My characters are evolving like I am,” she simply states. As for whether The Great will go on to have a second season, Elle adds, “Yeah, I certainly think there’s room for a season 2. Yeah, and if they wanted to do it, I would do it right away.”

The Great premieres Friday, May 15 on Hulu.

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At the tender age of three Elle Fanning debuted in her first film I Am Sam, going on to act in not one but two films by Sofia Coppola – Somewhere and The Beguiled, two films by Sally Potter – Ginger and Rosa and the soon to be released The Roads Not Taken, Mike Mills’ 20th Century Women, and so many more that we love (oh, Mary Shelley…) Next she will star alongside her sister Dakota in The Nightingale directed by Melanie Laurent. Premiering May 15 on Hulu, she stars as Catherine the Great in The Great, which she also produces. Here she shares some of her favourite films, books and comforts for these weeks at home.

Find Elle’s recomendations here.

Elle was photographed while she was out in Santa Monica yesterday, May 9. You can find the latest candids in the gallery!

Jimmy Kimmel recruited a number of stars to celebrate Mother’s Day by sharing text messages sent by their moms. Watch Elle reading a text from Joy around 1:15:

Elle Fanning has spent most of her 12-year career making movies. Now, at 22, she’s jumping into television, starring as Catherine the Great in Hulu’s 10-part satirical comedy series “The Great,” which debuts on May 15. Written by “The Favourite” scribe Tony McNamara, the show follows Catherine’s rise to power, from her arranged marriage to Peter III (Nicholas Hoult) to becoming empress of Russia in 1762 after having her husband assassinated.

“I didn’t know much about her. I knew the she-had-sex-with-a-horse propaganda,” Fanning says. “That’s what I knew about her, which is extremely sad. But I came to learn that she’s this kind of feminist icon, and she brought enlightenment to Russia and brought female education and art and science, and really did amazing things. She invented the roller coaster as well. She’s quite fun.”

What have you been doing during quarantine?

I’ve been with my sister [Dakota Fanning] and my mom and my grandmother cooking and baking a lot. My sister has been doing paint by numbers, and also this kind of bedazzling thing. Everyone’s embroidering. We’re getting creative. I’m doing a jigsaw puzzle of the “Top Gun” movie poster.

Sony Pictures has set Dec. 22, 2021, as the release date for the World War II drama “The Nightingale” starring sisters Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning.

Melanie Laurent directed the adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s bestseller, which centers on two sisters struggling to survive in the French resistance during the Nazi occupation of France. Dana Stevens wrote the screenplay adaptation, and Elizabeth Cantillon produced through The Cantillon Company.

The sisters are set to appear together on screen for the very first time in the project, but the film has not yet been shot. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony had planned to release “The Nightingale” on Dec. 25, 2020.

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Elle was seen out in Los Angeles on the 26th (with Dakota) and the 28th by herself. Images in high quality are in the gallery: