I was deeply troubled upon learning of Dakota Fanning’s upcoming nude rape scene in the gritty indie Hounddog. I mean…what? Granted, Jodie Foster and Brooke Shields cemented their reps as jail bait stars in fairly explicit roles as underage hookers in Taxi Driver and Pretty Baby.
But Dakota - with her U.N. Secretary General poise, her apple cheeks and her adorable sibilant ‘S’ - cast as an abused child is like golden retriever snuff. The film’s backers were apparently so uncomfortable with the rape and abuse scenes that production briefly shut down while new funding was secured. Not unlike when the Disney Channel balked at the Donkey Show episode of That’s So Raven.
Okay, that never happened. But don’t you find it markedly less disturbing than a Dakota Fanning rape scene? It’s not the nakedness of Dakota that bothers me so much as the nakedness of her Oscar bid. You can just picture La Fanning screaming at her agent on the phone: “How many times did Charlize Theron get raped in Monster?! Like, a hundred! Hilary Swank! Nicole Kidman! Halle Berry! They get raped, they get Oscars! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO!!!!”
All shook up over Dakota’ ‘Hounddog’ [NY Daily News]
OMFG.
“I’ve seen the dailies, and in every scene she gets better and better.”
Are you goddamn kidding me?! 12-year-olds getting raped on film. That’s pretty intense. Do you think the MPAA would even give it a rating?
Jesus. Imagine the little girls who idolize Dakota. Seeing her get ass-raped could probably traumatize them for the rest of their lives.
Oh well. At any rate, it probably won’t be as bad as Charlotte’s Web.
OMFG. Seriously, I can’t believe it. Who?Why?How? I think it’s more or less a matter of obligation now… the only thing left for her to do is clear a space in between her barbie dolls to put the Oscar. Isn’t this kind of thing going to go down as kiddie porn though? I loved the “That’s So Raven” reference, heheh…if anyone could perform, it would be her heheh, they could charge $75 for seats instead of the usual $59.
Can’t be any worse than the strangely ugly rape of Jena Malone in Bastard Out of Carolina — a movie also directed by a woman (Anjelica Huston).
Can’t be any worse than the grisly and somewhat explicit rape of the then 10 year-old Jena Malone in Bastard Out of Carolina — a movie also directed by a woman (Anjelica Huston).
i’m shocked by the reactions to her filming this scene. she’s a true actress and isn’t about to disassociate or freak out during a scene. she most definitely was completely present as her character and it was completely consensual in the context of the production. you didn’t quite do it in your post here, but msnbc, et al, were all freaking out how inappropriate and cringeworthy the concept of her filming the scene was. shouldn’t the reaction be that rape of children is inappropriate, and that just possibly by dramatizing it, it will raise awareness that it exists? everyone seems to be acting like everything would be just hunky dory if something like this were never dramatized. maybe it will be hard to watch for some people because it happened to them or because they do it to their kids. so maybe msnbc could choke on that fact and laud fanning for her brave work.
i’m shocked by the reactions to her filming this scene. she’s a true actress and isn’t about to disassociate or freak out during a scene. she most definitely was completely present as her character and it was completely consensual in the context of the production. you didn’t quite do it in your post here, but msnbc, et al, were all freaking out how inappropriate and cringeworthy the concept of her filming the scene was. shouldn’t the reaction be that rape of children is inappropriate, and that just possibly by dramatizing it, it will raise awareness that it exists? everyone seems to be acting like everything would be just hunky dory if something like this were never dramatized. maybe it will be hard to watch for some people because it happened to them or because they do it to their kids. so maybe msnbc could choke on that fact and laud fanning for her brave work.
AVI, don’t get me wrong. I think it’s great to raise awareness for child rape. It’s the second leading cause of childhood trauma among children that adults reported to find attractive. However, what I do find distrubing is the acting skill Dakota has, no doubt she will bring the reality of childhood rape to the screen in a way that only she can. I mean, this child has a special, dare i say…power. And if it continues to go unchecked, she could become more powerful than Barbara Streisand and nothing would be able to stop her.
Avi, in theory, I agree with you. I applaud Jena Malone’s work in Bastard Out of Carolina. But Fanning - I don’t know. It just seems too calculated.
I wonder how long it will take for a “modified” version of the scene to turn up on some internet porn site.
Get a grip people! It’s a movie and she is ACTING.
Why would a pretend rape be anymore harmful then a pretend death? or a pretend apocalypse. If I ACT like I died or I’m a serial killer do I need therapy, or should I be arrested ?
Nudiry has never killed anyone, not even the very young And all kids think about sexual things even if they don’t know what to call it. Most young kids rub themselves for pleasure at very early ages does that mean they are sex fiends?
Stop demonizing nudity and sex. Demonize abuse, FORCING someone to do something against their will IS wrong. which I think is possible what the scene addresses. Open your closed minds and grow up.