Dakota Fanning Says Tom Cruise Still Sends Her Shoes Every Year — a Tradition Since She Was 12
Dakota Fanning caught the shoe bug when she was young, and her costar Tom Cruise noticed — and never forgot. He has been sending the actress shoes for her birthday for two decades.
Craig Melvin inquired about Cruise’s annual birthday gift when Fanning stopped by the “Today” show on Wednesday. The connection between the two actors goes way back, as Fanning played Cruise’s daughter in the 2005 alien invasion film “War of the Worlds,” directed by Steven Spielberg.
Fanning confirmed the gifting tradition and added, “He sends me beautiful shoes, it’s a tradition that started, I think, on my 12th birthday. I loved shoes, and I just had started fitting into adult-sized shoes, and so I was really excited about it. And so for that birthday he gave me shoes, and he’s kept the tradition going for 20 years.”
Dakota Fanning and Tom Cruise
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Melvin wanted to know what kind of shoes Cruise was sending over — “Louis Vuittons? Pradas?”
She replied emphatically that the styles he sends are “nice”: “He’s got good taste,” Fanning said.
This is only to be expected of the Hollywood movie star. “He’s Tom Cruise, he can’t send you a pair of Keds,” Melvin said.
Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning and Steven Spielberg at a photo call to promote “War of the Worlds” on June 13, 2005 in Tokyo.
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The broadcaster also inquired if she wears the gifted shoes or if they sit on a shelf, to which Fanning said, “I do [wear the shoes]. But I save them all, I’ll keep them forever. It’s such a great memory, it’s a way that he checks in with me. It’s really, really generous.”
The shoe tradition is a story she’s previously explained on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” where she shared that Cruise gave her a Motorola Razr for her 11th birthday before transitioning to shoes. She mentioned she could fit into small adult shoes for the “War of the Worlds” press tour, which was exciting for her. Photos from that era show that kid-friendly ballet flats were key to her wardrobe at the time, like the neutral pair and patterned pair seen above. When Cruise and Fanning presented at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards together, she wore a pair of gladiator-esque sandals with a gold metallic strap, as seen below.
Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning pose backstage during the 2005 MTV Movie Awards at the Shrine Auditorium June 4, 2005 in Los Angeles.
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These days, Fanning appears to still appreciate a ballet flat moment — she wears a pair with jeans a striped T in her recent Madewell fall campaign, for example (she helped design some fall pieces as part of a Dakota for Madewell collection). For her engagement on “Today,” she went the strappy high heel route with a pair of Aquazzura’s slingback Tati style in black.
Watch the full interview below.
