Elle Fanning Shares Her Heartfelt Response to Receiving Her First Oscar Nomination

Elle Fanning.
Credit:

Savion Washington/FilmMagic

NEED TO KNOW

• Elle Fanning is reacting to her first Oscar nomination for Sentimental Value
• “I can’t catch my breath. I am in absolute shock,” she wrote on Instagram
• Fanning plays an actress in the acclaimed drama

Elle Fanning expressed her excitement following her first Oscar nomination for her role in Sentimental Value.

After the 98th Academy Awards nominations were announced on January 22, Fanning shared a screenshot of her FaceTime call revealing her emotional response to the news. In the image, she appears teary-eyed while speaking with Sentimental Value director Joachim Trier and his wife, Helle Bendixen Trier.

“IS THIS REAL!?!?!?! IS THIS A DREAM!?!?!?! I can’t catch my breath. I am in absolute shock,” Fanning wrote in her Instagram caption. “What an honor to have my first Academy Award nomination be for a film that acknowledges the power of moviemaking and family! My Mom, Grandma, Sister, and Aunt were here with me this morning to scream and hug and cry. Thank you thank you thank you. To be amongst the beautiful women in this category is truly overwhelming. I was equally overjoyed to see our entire ‘Sentimental Value’ family recognized! The gorgeous Stellan, Inga, and Renate, I will forever be in awe of you! Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt, our editor Olivier Bugge Coutté, Maria, Andrea, Lars, our Neon team, EVERYONE INVOLVED – cheers to you all! Or as you say in Norway, Skål! I am filled with so much love. The whole house got nominated!!! 🥂🏡

Sentimental Value, which features fellow first-time Oscar nominees Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, tells the story of a woman who reconnects with her estranged father, a famous director, after the death of her mother. The film garnered seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas shared her own excitement in a recent statement, saying, “I can’t believe this has happened. This nomination means the world to me, and I have to thank my family for being so supportive and loving and patient, especially my husband and son, who I love more than life itself – thank you thank you thank you!”

Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value.

NEON

In a previous interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, Fanning discussed the challenges of portraying an actress in Sentimental Value. “I mean, it was very meta, this whole experience,” she said, reflecting on her character, Rachel Kemp, who is an established American star seeking recognition as a serious actress. “There were a lot of things that I could relate to in the character. What’s beautiful about Joachim and this film in particular, is it’s very personal to him, and he allows his cast to add their personal experiences as well, and he’s extremely open to that. I think you can feel that in the heartbeat of the movie.”

Fanning concluded, “Rachel’s different from me in some ways, but there are also challenges she faces that I’ve felt before in my career, and it was very cathartic actually getting to play her.”

The Oscars, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will air live on March 15 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC and will also be available for streaming on Hulu.

Sentimental Value.

Neon