Elle Fanning says she was rejected from big franchise film over Instagram follower count

Actor said she ‘firmly doesn’t’ agree with the rationale

Elle Fanning has revealed the grim feedback she once received after being rejected from a big franchise film.

Fanning – the younger sister of child star Dakota Fanning – rose to fame with roles in a handful of Noughties classics, including Because of Winn-Dixie and Daddy Day Care, later hits like Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo and more recent TV shows, The Great and The Girl From Plainville.

Speaking on the newest episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, the 25-year-old was asked whether she felt there was a pressure for young actors these days to be “entrenched” in franchises to remain “relevant”.

While she admitted that she personally “doesn’t feel that [pressure]”, she acknowledged it “obviously does something for people”. “But you also don’t know if it’s going to work sometimes, which is scary.”

Fanning went on to recall a time when things fell through for her with a big franchise film.

“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 said.

“That's something I firmly don't believe in, for not getting a part.”

She refrained from naming the project, but at current, she holds an Instagram following of 6.2 million.

The Maleficent star has been acting since she was two and has worked alongside numerous Hollywood legends – Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Chloë Sevigny – and several iconic directors – Sofia Coppola, David Fincher and Alejandro González Iñárritu.

The third season of Fanning’s newest comedy-drama series, The Great, premieres Friday (12 May) on Hulu in the US and on 14 July on Apple TV Plus in the UK.