Freddie Highmore and Dakota Fanning know a thing or two about being child actors. Fortunately, both of them are still thriving in the business today, virtually unscathed. But having come from similar backgrounds, Highmore and Fanning found kindred spirits in each other. Now, they're all grown up, and they've both dated just as much as each other. When the time came, they had their moment, but it didn't last, unfortunately. Here's what we know about Highmore and Fanning's relationship.
Highmore And Fanning Briefly Dated In 2009
According to Ranker, Highmore and Fanning briefly dated in July of 2009. Whos Dating Who backs this up and says that the couple was teenagers when they were spotted on several dinner dates. But that's about as much as we know about any kind of romantic relationship between them, and what the paparazzi might not have even caught anything romantic on their camera, to be honest.
After Highmore, Fanning moved on to date her Twilight co-star Cameron Bright. They dated from 2009 to 2012. Then she dated Jamie Strachan from 2013 to 2016. Her current boyfriend is Henry Frye, whom she started dating in 2017.
After Fanning, Highmore was rumored to have dated Abigail Breslin in 2016. Breslin is another child actor. Before Breslin and Fanning, Highmore dated his The Spiderwick Chronicles co-star Sarah Bolger from 2006 to 2009. But neither actor let slip any information about their relationship.
Highmore told Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he thinks dating in America is "baffling" compared to dating in the U.K. It's obvious when you're going on a date in the U.K. He said you tend to do typical dating activities. Whereas if someone invites you on a date in America, you don't really know it's a date. Someone invites you kayaking, and all of a sudden, you don't know if it's actually a date. As far as we know, Highmore is not dating anyone currently.
Highmore And Fanning Did Variety's Actors On Actors
We don't know much about Highmore and Fanning's romantic relationship, but we can say that they're pretty close friends. They interviewed each other for Variety's Actors on Actors in 2018. They shared many things with each other, including what it was like being child stars.
"Was there a moment where you thought, 'This is what I want to do when I’m older?'" Highmore asked Fanning. "My mom wanted me to be a tennis player. I come from a full athletics family. So this was the last thing on anyone’s radar for what they wanted me to be," Fanning answered.
"I feel like I was probably lucky — or I’ve always thought — growing up in London and being somewhat removed from L.A. I guess it’s more impressive that you’ve managed to stay so grounded, whereas I had the return to what I thought of as normality," Highmore added.
"Even though I feel like I did grow up in Los Angeles, I’m from Georgia originally. And my family is very traditional and Southern. So even though I grew up in L.A., I grew up almost in Georgia, too, in my household. My mom managed to give me a very kind of stable, grounded life," Fanning added.
Highmore then changed the topic to directing. He'd just directed an episode of The Good Doctor, and Fanning had just directed her first short. He said, "there’s a similar path for our futures in that way — of a desire to do something more than acting." For Fanning, directing was "the natural next step."
"I loved doing it so much," Fanning said. "And it challenged me in a way that I hadn’t experienced in a while. Because as much as you get challenged with different roles or different films that you’re in, we kind of know what it means to be an actor on set. I feel pushed to a certain extent, but I also feel very comfortable. So directing ripped me out of my comfort zone, threw me in the middle of a desert with no water. It was terrifying. And it was actually really cool to feel that."
Regarding transitioning from child to adult actor, Fanning explained that she never wanted to seem like she was trying to grow up fast. "I think that would drive you crazy if you’re constantly being strategic about those choices and like, 'Well, people will finally see me as a 17-year-old if I do this part.' That’s not the reason you should be making choices. You should do a character just because you love it," she explained.
So Fanning and Highmore have a lot in common and have more than likely bonded over their shared experiences at some point in their friendship. We just can't really say they've dated. Dating American women is hard for Highmore, after all. Maybe she invited him to go kayaking.