Elle Fanning was rejected for a role in a film franchise because her Instagram followers count was too low.
The 25-year-old actress, who has 6.2m Instagram followers, has revealed she was lined up for a huge job in a major movie series but was turned down because studio bosses were concerned that her social media presence was not strong enough.
In an interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Fanning explained: “I didn’t get a part once for something big because – it might not have just been this reason, but this was the feedback that I heard – was because I didn’t have enough Instagram followers at the time.
“That’s something I firmly don’t believe in for not getting a part.”
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She was also asked whether she felt pressure to land a part in a big franchise, and Fanning insisted it was not something she cared too deeply about.
The “Super 8” star added: “I don’t feel that way. I don’t. It does something for people, you know, but you also don’t know if they’re gonna work sometimes, which is also scary.”
Fanning previously revealed that she had mixed feelings about being on Instagram because, while she loves scrolling through her feed, she worries the constant exposure to “fake” imagery is taking a toll on young people’s mental health.
She told the i newspaper: “Social media is even more of a thing now than it was then. The comparative nature of it, the striving towards certain beauty standards… I’m still on Instagram all the time, looking at all these images of other girls and comparing myself.
“A lot of these images are fake, doctored or very well-curated, so you can go down this rabbit hole of unattainable beauty, trending body shapes, what’s in and out of style.
“That constant comparing can be so damaging to young people and their mental health.”