Dakota Fanning has stepped into the modern dating arena, but with her usual reserve. The actress, 31, revealed in a new Vanity Fair cover story with her sister Elle that she recently joined Raya, the invite-only app that’s become Hollywood’s digital cocktail party.
It wasn’t a calculated move. A friend set up the profile for her, Dakota explained, insisting it was “just for fun.” Elle, 27, pointed out that her older sister has “never done this. Ever,” before joking that maybe Dakota’s future husband was lurking somewhere on the platform. Dakota’s dry reply: “I can confirm that he is not.”
As for spotting recognizable names? “I haven’t seen a ton of familiar faces yet,” she said.
Fanning has kept her romantic life under wraps for most of her career. Back in 2016, she described dating as “horrific” in an interview with Town & Country, complaining about the rigid script of first encounters: forced questions, half-eaten meals, the whole routine. She admitted she prefers meeting people through friends—“then I can assume they’re most likely not a freak.”
Her public record is thin. She split from model Jamie Strachan in 2016 after two years together, and by 2018 was briefly linked to Henry Frye. Since then, she’s kept quiet, describing herself simply as “a very private person.”
Elle, on the other hand, is more open. The Great star has been dating Gus Wenner, Rolling Stone heir, and isn’t shy about making it Instagram official. “If your partner doesn’t post you on Instagram, that’s a red flag,” she told Vanity Fair. “I love my boyfriend, and we’re going to post each other.”
The approval extends across the family. Elle recalled how Dakota first met Wenner in Las Vegas at an after-party, while she herself was in Paris. “She turned around, and there he was. Then they had this whole night of gambling. Dakota was with her girlfriends, and I’m getting videos of her dancing with Gus.”
Dakota admitted she liked him immediately but didn’t let him off easy. “I used some stern words. Warnings, cautions said with a smile,” she said. “It went great. He’s the brother I never had.”
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Last modified: September 17, 2025
