Dakota Fanning - Dakota Fanning: I'm no child star

Dakota Fanning: I'm no child star

Dakota Fanning always hated being called a ''child star''.

The 18-year-old actress shot to fame appearing in 'I Am Sam' when she was just seven years old but she insists her young age should never have been relevant to her work.

She said: ''I never liked that phrase. I was just an actor who was seven or 10 or whatever.''

Dakota insists she was never forced into working and her family would have been happy if she had said she wanted to quit.

She told the Guardian newspaper: ''Every part would usually mean moving to another state. But each time my mum would ask me, 'Are you sure you want to do this?' and I'd be, like, 'Sure!' Even if I said now that I didn't want to do it anymore, that would be totally fine with everyone.''

With famous friends including ''bestie'' Kristen Stewart, ''exciting'' Tom Cruise and ''sweet'' Robert De Niro, the actress has still managed to remain modest and grateful to her co-stars.

Ol Parker, director of Dakota's latest film 'Now Is Good', praised the teenager, saying: ''I've never heard of anyone else who gives presents to every member of the cast and crew, and sends handwritten letters at the end of the shoot to every head of department, telling them what they meant to her.''