As her Hulu biopic about Catherine the Great drops, we speak to the 22-year-old star about the women who inspire her, and her life as both the series’ lead and producer.

Before the global pandemic, when human contact is still an everyday occurrence, we meet Elle Fanning in one of her favorite restaurants in the Valley, where she was born and raised, to talk about her latest role. With a script by Australian screenwriter Tony McNamara of The Favourite fame, she jumped at the chance to work on a TV series about the young Catherine the Great, who became the Russian empress after overthrowing her dastardly husband, Peter the Great, played by Nicholas Hoult. Following the coup d’etat, she went on to rule the nation for 34 years, embracing the European ideas of the Enlightenment, extending its borders and governing during a period that became known as The Golden Age. We ask the actor what it was like to embody one of the most powerful female figures in history in The Great, available to stream May 15.

What appealed to you about Catherine’s character?
She’s a beautiful character because she’s very curious, and she always has a second plan and a third and fourth and fifth plan. And she makes mistakes. And she doesn’t claim to know everything. She’s open to learning from other people and even Peter, though his style of ruling is horrible. And she’s a great manipulator.

The two actors talk about ‘The Great’ on Good Morning America.

During this historic time of isolation, people have been entertained by “Never Have I Ever,” “Normal People,” “Dave,” “Dead to Me” or “Ozark.” They have spent hours watching “The Last Dance,” a rejuvenated “Survivor,” “Drag Race,” “Love is Blind” and “Making the Cut.” Escapism has been what has popped the most and another welcome respite is likely to be Hulu ‘s “The Great” starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. And thankfully, Hulu is making it available all in one binge this Friday.

Loosely inspired by the life of Catherine the Great, who is portrayed by Fanning, the Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”) created series imagines her rise to power through a contemporary mindset. Of course, the series begins with her marriage to Peter III, played wonderfully by Hoult, and McNamara and his writing team have glorious fun playing with history when it suits their particular tale. Despite an overall stellar cast (look for “Normal People’s” Sebastian de Souza in a major role) the shining star is Fanning. The now 22-year-old actress has earned acclaim for her roles in films such as “20th Century Women” and “The Beguiled,” but this is hands down the best thing she’s ever done. She not only excels at the comedic moments but finds a way to break your heart as well.

Fanning jumped on the phone just a month or so into the nation’s stay at home orders (well, at least those in California) to discuss her rare foray into episodic content. Be warned, however, there are some spoilers ahead (whether you think they are minor or major is debatable).

The Playlist: Hi Elle. How are you doing?
Elle Fanning: I’m good. How are you?

Elle video chats with Jimmy about celebrating her 22nd birthday in quarantine, explains how she ended up with Bob Dylan’s harmonica and breaks down the importance of supporting Children’s Miracle Network.

Elle was photographed while she was out in Los Angeles with Max Minghella yesterday, May 12. She was also seen while she was leaving her home to head over to pick up a frozen yogurt with her sister Dakota and their mom. You can find the newest photos in the gallery!

With all 10 episodes of The Great arriving on Hulu on May 15th, Collider recently got the chance to chat with Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult about a little bit of everything! They talked early inspirations, getting involved in franchises, The Great, and loads more. They’ll share the full chat closer to the show’s big debut, but for now, here’s a brief tease of the conversation.

Of course there’s a ton of Batgirl fan casting happening right now, and that likely has a lot to do with, one, the character being super popular and, two, the fact that Warner Bros. has had a Batgirl solo film in development for quite a while now. The funny thing about Fanning’s name being tossed around for the title role is that her Neon Demon director, Nicolas Winding Refn, has expressed interest in directing a Batgirl movie, so they her about it.

Update

Full interview:

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.

Via