Fanning Halted Final Exams To Watch Obama Day

She tells WENN, "Our school put the coverage on in the theatre for us, so we could watch it all in there. I was so happy."

And the big day wasn't lost on Fanning - she realised what a special moment it was while she was shooting and promoting period piece The Secret Life of Bees last year (08).

She adds, "We were dealing with so many civil rights in that movie. One of the key points of that movie is when Jennifer Hudson's character gets beat up for wanting to register to vote, and now we have an African-American president.

"I'm so happy that I get to live in a world where that can happen. I grew up where interracial relationships are normal to me. I see that all the time in school and just walking down the street and I don't think twice about it, so when I see someone like Barack Obama run, I don't see him as a black man or a white man; I just see him as a man. We're all just human beings.

"Anyone that is willing to be the President of our country, who will lead us and protect us is a very inspirational human being, especially him... I just love to listen to him."