In which movie did Dakota Fanning and Tom Cruise work together? ‘The Watchers’ star reveals her yearly birthday tradition with the actor

Man on Fire star Dakota Fanning recently opened up about a special birthday tradition she shares with Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise. Fanning starred as Rachel Ferrier, the daughter of Tom Cruise's character Ray Ferrier, in the 2005 Steven Spielberg movie War of the Worlds, which was loosely based on H. G. Wells' 1898 novel of the same name.

While at the premiere of her latest horror movie, The Watchers, in New York City on Sunday, June 2, Fanning told Entertainment Tonight that Tom Cruise still sent her birthday gifts. The actress recalled that Cruise gifted her her first cell phone when she was 11. The 30-year-old explained that the tradition has continued without fail ever since.

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"It's so thoughtful" — Dakota Fanning says Tom Cruise has been sending her birthday gifts since she was 11

During the Sunday premiere of her upcoming film The Watchers, at the AMC Lincoln Square in New York City, Dakota Fanning revealed her and Tom Cruise's special birthday tradition to Entertainment Tonight. The actress said that Cruise has sent her a gift every year to this day.

Fanning was 10 when filming began for the Steven Spielberg film in which she starred as Cruise's daughter. The movie hit theaters when she was 11.

"He gave me my first cellphone when I was 11 years old. That was my first gift from him and he's remembered it every year since then," the actress told ET.

She initially thought that the tradition might stop at some point but Cruise's gifts have only kept on coming. Dakota Fanning told the publication:

"I always am like, 'Maybe when I'm 18?' Like that would be a normal place, you know what I mean? Or, like, 21 or whatever. And then he said a few years ago that he likes sort of that moment of checking in like once a year," Dakota Fanning said, adding, "It's so thoughtful, and I really appreciate it."

This is not the first time Dakota Fanning has talked about her special birthday tradition with Tom Cruise. During a Harper's Bazaar interview with her Ripley co-star Andrew Scott in April, Fanning revealed that her first cell phone was a Motorola Razr courtesy of Tom Cruise.

The actress revealed that she was "so excited" after receiving the phone. Despite being only 11 and having nobody to call or text then, she still "loved" having it as it felt "so cool."

"Tom sends me a birthday gift every year and has since that birthday," she said in the interview.

War of the Worlds followed Tom Cruise's Ray Ferrier, a divorced longshoreman, as he desperately tried to keep his children safe amidst the attack of alien tripod fighting machines. Fanning played the role of Ray's 10-year-old daughter Rachel, and Dragonball Evolution star Justin Chatwin played her teenage older brother Robbie.

Ray experiences a variety of difficult situations while trying to keep his children safe, especially his daughter, who is abducted by the aliens at one point in the movie. War of the Worlds received mostly positive critical reviews, averaging a Rotten Tomatoes score of 76%. It was also a massive box office success, grossing over $600 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Dakota Fanning recently celebrated her 30th birthday on February 23, 2024. When asked about her plans for the future, Fanning, who began her career in Hollywood as a child actress, told ET that she simply plans to keep doing what she was doing but in this "new chapter."

"I'm so grateful for all the opportunities that I have now at the moment and that I've had in the past," she said.

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The Watchers, a horror fantasy movie starring Dakota Fanning, is the directorial debut of M. Night Shyamalan's daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan. The film will hit theaters across the country on June 7, 2024.