Elle Fanning Talks Sentimental Value, Predator: Badlands, and Teases The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping

Elle Fanning continues an impressive run.

Elle Fanning keeps building one of the most exciting careers in film. Her recent run has included intimate dramas, major franchise work, and high-profile upcoming projects.

That momentum continued this year with an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Although she did not win tonight, the nomination capped another major moment in a career filled with range and smart choices.

One of the most compelling entries in that stretch is Sentimental Value, the 2025 Norwegian drama from Joachim Trier, which won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. The film follows sisters Nora and Agnes as they reunite with their estranged father, Gustav, and confront years of emotional distance.

Fanning spoke with Nerdtropolis about what drew her to Sentimental Value, why the script hit her so hard, and how the film unexpectedly connects to Predator: Badlands.

Sentimental Value stood out on the page

For Fanning, the screenplay made an immediate impact.

“I was incredibly blown away by the script,” Fanning said. “It reads like this novel. It just engulfs you.”

That reaction makes sense once you understand what Sentimental Value is aiming for. This is not a loud, plot-heavy drama. Instead, it lives in silence, tension, and the emotional weight between the lines.

Fanning said that quality was part of the appeal.

“I love that the film is not necessarily plot driven,” she said. “It’s not about the lines that are being said. It’s everything in between, and it’s what is unsaid.”

That approach gives the film a deeply human texture. It also gives the actors room to work in small gestures and subtle shifts.

“It just felt so true to life and the human experience,” Fanning said.

Rachel Kemp becomes the emotional bridge

In Sentimental Value, Fanning plays Rachel Kemp, an actress who becomes a key presence in the story’s fractured family dynamic.

Rachel could have easily been written as a stereotype. Instead, Fanning said Joachim Trier gave her something richer and more layered.

She praised the film for avoiding the usual “Hollywood starlet” clichés and letting Rachel reveal her emotional intelligence over time. That depth, in turn, helps Rachel become the person who pushes the family toward understanding.

“She’s the catalyst who is able to mend this family,” Fanning said. “They’re so incapable of communicating.”

That insight gives Rachel real weight in the story. She is not there to decorate the narrative. She helps move it toward healing.

Joachim Trier created a safe and collaborative set

Fanning also had strong praise for Trier’s process as a filmmaker. She described the set as open, collaborative, and emotionally honest.

“Yes,” Fanning said when asked whether the project shifted how she thinks about storytelling and collaboration. “This was the ultimate collaboration and the ultimate set experience.”

She said Trier created an environment where actors could be vulnerable and open. During rehearsals, the cast shared stories and personal thoughts, which then informed the writing.

“And then him and Eskil will kind of go away and rewrite the character a bit for you based on what you’ve talked about and shared,” Fanning said.

That process gave Sentimental Value a lived-in emotional honesty. It also helps explain why the performances feel so intimate.

Predator: Badlands and Sentimental Value were opposites that connected

One of the most fun parts of the conversation came when Fanning discussed the gap between Predator: Badlands and Sentimental Value.

On paper, the two projects could not be more different. One is rooted in intense franchise action. The other is a quiet, emotionally layered family drama.

Yet Fanning said filming them back to back revealed a surprising link.

“They’re very polar opposite movies,” she said. “And I think they actually speak to each other in a very interesting way.”

She even joked that Rachel Kemp, her character in Sentimental Value, probably had plenty of stunt training in her past.

That contrast says a lot about where Fanning is right now as an actor. She can jump between large-scale genre work and delicate character pieces without losing what makes each performance special.

What comes next for Elle Fanning

Fanning also teased what lies ahead. She said Hunger Games fans should be excited about what is coming next with The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, even though she kept details limited.

“I think they should be really excited,” Fanning said. “From what I have seen, it’s pretty incredible.”

Beyond that, Fanning also has the upcoming Apple TV comedy-drama Margo’s Got Money Troubles on the horizon, adding another major title to her growing slate.

Taken together, Sentimental Value, Predator: Badlands, Hunger Games, and Margo’s Got Money Troubles show exactly why Fanning remains one of the most versatile performers working today.

Even on a night without an Oscar win, her momentum feels undeniable.

---

Read more News on Nerdtropolis. Subscribe to our YouTube.