Yahoo News Dakota Fanning is still 'always in the loop' with Denzel Washington 20 years after Man on Fire
Since starring together in Man on Fire nearly 20 years ago, Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning have remained in each other's lives.
The pair reunited for the first time onscreen, however, since the 2004 Tony Scott drama in Washington's upcoming The Equalizer 3.
Ivan Romano/Getty Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington in 2022
Fanning wasn't quite 10 years old when she acted opposite one of Hollywood's greatest actors, but Washington was left impressed by his young costar. And yet acting with Fanning as an adult has been a trippy experience for both of them.
"It was weird, you know, 'cause I'm like, 'Oh she's a grown woman,'" Washington told Entertainment Tonight. "She was like a grown woman then, but now she's a grown woman. And, you know, obviously a great talent.... It wasn't really strange, 'cause she was bringing it."
Moviestore/Shutterstock Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington in 2004's 'Man on Fire'
In Man on Fire, Washington played former CIA operative John Creasy, who must rescue a young girl (Fanning) after she's kidnapped. The film also starred Christopher Walken, Radha Mitchell, Marc Anthony, and Mickey Rourke.
Fanning revealed that, off-screen, she and Washington have kept in touch over the past two decades since she befriended one of his daughters while studying at New York University.
"I've obviously, you know, known Denzel for a big part of my life, and one of his daughters is one of my closest friends, so I'm always in the loop," Fanning told ET.
"He has always been so good to me and kind to me, and I feel such a connection to him because he's known me for so long," she added. "It's most people's dream to get to work with him once, so to get to work with him twice at different stages in my life is a real treat."
Fanning also recently reunited with another acting legend, playing Michelle Pfeiffer's daughter on The First Lady, after first working together on 2002's I Am Sam.
"I was so excited, just selfishly, to see her. She was such a marvel at six," Pfeiffer said of Fanning.
"She was just a marvel ... I would watch her work and I would think, 'What planet is this little actress from?' Because she would just channel things," Pfeiffer continued. "And I was curious to see if she could still do that. And she can. And she can and I'm so jealous. And we just had so much fun."
The Equalizer 3 hits theaters Sept. 1.
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