Tuesday 21 October 2014

Drake

Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian rapper, songwriter, and actor. He was born in Toronto, Ontario. He first garnered recognition for his role as Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. He later rose to prominence as a rapper, releasing several mixtapes like Room for Improvement before signing to Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in June 2009.

Drake's EP, So Far Gone (2009), spawned the hit single "Best I Ever Had" and the moderate hit "Successful". His first studio album, Thank Me Later (2010), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and generated notable singles, "Over" and "Find Your Love". It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA. His second album, Take Care (2011), is his most successful to date, topping charts in the United States and Canada and producing multiple hit singles, including "Headlines", "Take Care", "Make Me Proud", and "The Motto", the last of which is also credited for popularizing the widely used acronym YOLO. In promotion of Take Care, Drake embarked on the worldwide Club Paradise Tour, which became the most successful hip-hop tour of 2012, grossing over $42 million. His third studio album Nothing Was the Same was released on September 24, 2013. It has so far been supported by the singles "Started from the Bottom" and "Hold On, We're Going Home".

Drake has sold over 5 million albums worldwide. His work has earned him a Grammy Award, three Juno Awards, six BET Awards, and set several significant Billboard records. With twelve number-one singles, Drake has more than any other artist on Billboard's Hot Rap Songs chart. With ten number-one singles, he also has more than any other rapper on Billboard '​s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, passing Jay-Z in August 2012. He is one of two artists (the other being 50 Cent) that has simultaneously occupied the chart's top three positions.

Drake, along with being a record producer under the pseudonym C. Papi, has also written songs for other artists, including Alicia Keys "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready)", Rita Ora "R.I.P.", Jamie Foxx and Trey Songz. He featured as a voice actor in Ice Age: Continental Drift as the mammoth Ethan. Drake was tied with Rihanna for the most nominations at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. He was ranked No. 2 on MTV's Hottest MCs in the Game VII list in 2012. Drake became the #1 Rhythmic artist of 2012 based on Mediabase.

Musical style

Drake's lyrics often discuss themes of wealth, fame, and past relationships. All Music describes Drake's moods as searching, thoughtful, introspective, brooding, confident, dramatic, earnest, energetic, humorous, intense, laid-back/mellow, literate, melancholy, nostalgic, playful, reflective, smooth, tender, warm and yearning. Drake's sound is labeled as "soft" for his lyrics and melody to most hip hop listeners. He denied this by saying "I'm not soft. I'm just not one of those people who's closed off emotionally." A large portion of Drake's work incorporates elements of both rapping and singing, which has led to him being unique as a recording artist. Drake has even described himself as "the first person to successfully rap and sing." He went on further about his statement by saying "I'm one of the few artists who gets to be himself every day. It doesn't take me six hours to get ready and I don't have to wake up in the morning and remember to act like this or talk like this. I just have to be me. That's one of the favourite parts of my life - I've done this purely by being myself."

Drake has a unique musical style that has set him apart from his (Young Money) counterparts. Regarding Drake's album Take Care, Lil Wayne commented on the project prior to its release that "I can tell, you know, I don't know nothing else out there that can touch it, including my stuff. That kid is on another planet." Recently, Drake has been making a notable shift away from Young Money/Cash Money collaborations and towards a new project, OVOXO. The OVO owl symbolizes OVOXO, which is a separate entity from Young Money/Cash Money and represents a collaboration group between Drake and R&B singer The Weeknd. Its eyes and beak form the acronym for October's Very Own. Drake has been moving in this new direction after the release of Take Care, which featured writing collaborations with The Weeknd on 5 tracks ranging from "Crew Love" to "Shot for Me" and 2 production collaborations on "Crew Love" and "The Ride", more than any Young Money/Cash Money collaboration.

Discography

So Far Gone (2009)
Thank Me Later (2010)
Take Care (2011)
Nothing Was the Same (2013)
Views from the 6 (2015)





 

Monday 6 October 2014

Blake Lively

Blake Ellender Lively born Blake Ellender Brown August 25, 1987 is an American actress, model and celebrity homemaker. She starred as Serena van der Woodsen in the CW teen drama series Gossip Girl, and has appeared in such films as The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, The Town, Green Lantern, Accepted and Savages. Following her 2012 marriage to actor Ryan Reynolds, the couple relocated to Bedford, a suburb in Westchester County, New York.

Lively began her acting career at age 11, when she appeared in the 1998 film Sandman, which was directed by Lively's father. She describes her role as a "bit part". She appeared in the film adaptation of the novel of the same name, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, in 2005 as Bridget, one of the four female leads. Lively's performance in the film earned her a nomination for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice Movie Breakout – Female.

In 2006, Lively co-starred with Justin Long in Accepted, and Lively had minor roles in the horror film, Simon Says. While Accepted was not well received by critics, Lively's performance was, earning her a 'Breakthrough Award' from Hollywood Life. In 2007, she played one of the two title characters in Elvis and Anabelle as Anabelle, a bulimic girl who hoped to win a beauty pageant. Lively said of getting into character for the role that she had 'shed serious weight' for her height. Lively stated that that process was difficult for her because food is “the No. 1 love of my life.”MovieLine.com praised her performance in the film and credited it as having been her "breakthrough role".

Lively was cast in the The CW's series Gossip Girl, based on the book series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar, which premiered in September 2007. She played Serena van der Woodsen in the teen drama until 2012 when the show ended. Her first magazine cover was the November 2007 issue of Cosmo Girl, where she discussed her time in high school and her career prior to Gossip Girl.

In 2009 , Lively reprised her role in the sequel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Similar to the first film, Lively was positively received by critics. As of November 2009, the film had earned over $44 million at the box office. In 2009, Lively appeared as Gabrielle DiMarco, a minor role in the romantic comedy, New York, I Love You, a sequel to the 2006 film Paris, je t'aime. Despite positive critical reception from critics, the film did not fare well at the box office.

One of Lively's most acclaimed roles to date is her supporting role playing the younger version of the title character in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee 2009. Paul Byrnes, of the Brisbane Times, described Lively's performance in the film as being "sensational".

In October 2009, Lively began filming her scenes for her role as Kristina "Kris" Coughlin, in the 2010 film The Town, based on Chuck Hogan's novel Prince of Thieves. The film, which stars Ben Affleck, was released in the United States on September 17, 2010.

Lively played Carol Ferris, the female lead and love interest of Hal Jordan in the superhero film Green Lantern, which was released in June 2011. The film grossed a worldwide total of $219,851,172. but was considered as a summer disappointment as it "failed to perform to expectations" even though it grossed more than its budget. Lively appeared in the music video for The Lonely Island's "I Just Had Sex" together with Jessica Alba in December 2010.

In 2011, she was featured in the annual TIME magazine 100 influential people. Additionally, AskMen.com named her the most desirable woman of 2011 and People magazine named her one of 2012's Most Beautiful at Every Age.

In 2012, she starred in Oliver Stone's Savages alongside Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, and John Travolta. Lively replaced Jennifer Lawrence as Ophelia, the latter dropped out to do The Hunger Games instead. HitFix film critic Drew McWeeny was positive of Lively's work, which he described as "smart and sad precisely because she plays O as such a broken, needy little soul". That same year, she was selected as the face of the new Gucci fragrance titled Gucci Premiere. She appeared in a short film ad directed by Nicolas Winding Refn for the fragrance.

In October 2013, Lively was named the new face of L'Oreal, marking her first major makeup campaign. In the same month, Lively was cast with Ellen Burstyn in the film The Age of Adaline.








Miley Cyrus

Miley Ray Cyrus born Destiny Hope Cyrus; November 23, 1992 is an American singer, actress, and songwriter. Her father is country singer Billy Ray Cyrus. She held minor roles in the television series Doc and the film Big Fish in her childhood. In 2006, Cyrus rose to prominence as a teen idol after being cast in the Disney Channel television series Hannah Montana, in which she portrayed the starring character Miley Stewart. After signing a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2007, Cyrus released her debut studio album Meet Miley Cyrus. It was certified quadruple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA for exceeding four million shipments, and produced the hit single "See You Again".

In 2008, Cyrus released her second album Breakout, which featured the successful track "7 Things", and launched her film career as the voice actress in the animated film Bolt. In 2009, Cyrus starred in the feature film Hannah Montana: The Movie; its soundtrack produced the hit single "The Climb". Cyrus developed a maturing image with the EP The Time of Our Lives 2009, which featured the successful track "Party in the U.S.A.". The transition continued with her third album Can't Be Tamed 2010 however, it made little commercial impact and became the lowest-selling record of her career. Later that year, Cyrus starred in the coming-of-age film The Last Song. During its production, she was involved in an on-again, off-again relationship with her co-star Liam Hemsworth; the couple ultimately separated after ending their year-long engagement in 2013.

Cyrus focused on her acting career with several television and film appearances throughout 2011 and 2012. Cyrus later signed a recording contract with RCA Records, and generated controversy by cultivating a sexually explicit public image while promoting her fourth studio album Bangerz 2013. Its singles "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" were promoted with controversial music videos; the latter became her first number-one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

Cyrus has had five non-consecutive number-one albums on the U.S. Billboard 200, two of which are soundtracks credited to her titular character Hannah Montana, and has earned numerous awards and nominations. In 2010, Cyrus ranked number thirteen on Forbes' Celebrity 100, and was named the "Most Charted Teenager" in the 2011 Guinness World Records with twenty-nine Billboard Hot 100 entries as of November 2009. In 2013, she was declared "Artist of the Year" by MTV.






Kendall Jenner

Kendall Nicole Jenner born November 3, 1995 is an American television personality and model. She is best known for appearing on the E! reality TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians that she shares with her family members. She has appeared as herself on a number of television shows and award ceremonies, and in 2012 acted in an episode of Hawaii Five-0. With her sister, Kylie, she designs a clothing line called "Kendall & Kylie." Jenner is also a runway model and appears at public events.

As a professional model, Jenner was first featured in Paper magazine's "Beautiful People" article series with Kylie in 2010. She began her modeling career by signing with the Wilhelmina modelling agency at age 14. Her first modeling job was a campaign for Forever 21. She has done photo shoots with OK! magazine, Teen Vogue, and photographer Nick Saglimbeni. In Season 6 of Keeping up with the Kardashians, during a family photo shoot at Nick Saglimbeni's SlickforceStudio, Saglimbeni encourages Jenner to pursue professional modeling as a career.

Also, she has modeled for the Sherri Hill dress line, which specializes in dresses for proms and pageants. She also modeled at the official Hello Kitty Launch for Forever 21 in Los Angeles. Seventeen magazine chose Kendall along with Kylie Jenner as Style Stars of 2011 and also the new 'Style Ambassadors' for the magazine.

Jenner has also done runway modelling. Her first runway modeling job was the Sherri Hill show in New York on September 14, 2011. She and Kylie have also hosted fashion week parties.






Thursday 18 September 2014

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Shrader Lawrence born August 15, 1990 is an American actress. Her first major role was as a lead cast member on the TBS sitcom The Bill Engvall Show (2007–09). She subsequently appeared in the independent films The Burning Plain (2008) and Winter's Bone (2010), for which she received her first Academy Award for Best Actress nomination; at the time, she was the second youngest person to receive a nomination in the category.

At age 22, Lawrence's performance as Tiffany Maxwell in the David O. Russell-directed romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook (2012) earned her several awards, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) and the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the second-youngest Best Actress winner at the Oscars. For her supporting role in Russell's comedy-drama American Hustle (2013), she was awarded the Golden Globe Award, the BAFTA Award and received a third Academy Award nomination, all for Best Supporting Actress.

Lawrence is also known for playing Raven Darkhölme / Mystique in the superhero film X-Men: First Class (2011) and its sequel X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Beginning in 2012, she gained international fame for playing the leading heroine, Katniss Everdeen, in the popular The Hunger Games film series, which established her as the highest-grossing action heroine of all time.

Early life
Lawrence was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She is the daughter of Karen (Koch) Lawrence, a children's camp manager, and Gary Lawrence, a construction worker. She has two older brothers, Ben and Blaine. By the age of 14, she had decided to pursue an acting career, persuading her parents to take her to New York City to find a talent agent. Prior to finding success in Hollywood, Lawrence attended Kammerer Middle School in Louisville. She graduated from high school two years early with a 3.9 average, aiming at a career in acting. While growing up and in between acting, Lawrence served as an assistant nurse at the children's summer day camp that her mother ran.

In July 2007, Lawrence started her acting career as a teenager in the TBS comedy series The Bill Engvall Show, playing Lauren Pearson, the oldest daughter. The series premiered in September 2007 and was canceled in 2009 after three seasons. Lawrence was nominated for and won a Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performer in a TV Series in their 2009 award show for her role, and was nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama).

Also in 2007, Lawrence auditioned for the role of Bella Swan in Twilight, but the role went to Kristen Stewart. Later, Lawrence stated that she was "glad" that she had not received the role because of the massive media attention that Stewart received. The following year, she appeared in a small role in the film Garden Party as Tiff. Lawrence had the lead role in another film director's debut, Lori Petty's family drama The Poker House, opposite Selma Blair and Chloë Grace Moretz, where she starred as Agnes, a young girl who is a victim of abuse. She was awarded the Los Angeles Film Festival Award for Best Performance in the Narrative Competition in 2008 for her role in the film. It was followed by an appearance on the big screen in Guillermo Arriaga's film directorial debut The Burning Plain, opposite Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. Her performance in the film earned her the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best emerging actor/actress at the Venice Film Festival in 2008. She appeared in the music video for the song "The Mess I Made", from the band Parachute's 2009 album Losing Sleep.

Lawrence has received many awards and nominations for her work as an actress. For her performance in Silver Linings Playbook, she earned an Academy Award for best actress. She also has received four Critics' Choice Movie Awards for her work in Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games, and American Hustle. She earned a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook and another for American Hustle. She also has won two Screen Actors Guild Awards for her performances in Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. In 2014, Lawrence won her first BAFTA Award for her performance in American Hustle.









Dylan O'Brien

Dylan O'Brien born August 26, 1991 is an American actor, musician, and director. He co-stars as Stiles in the MTV series Teen Wolf. He also co-starred in the film High Road, and starred in the film The First Time, with Britt Robertson and Victoria Justice and directed by Jon Kasdan.

O'Brien was born in New York City, the son of Lisa, a former actress who also ran an acting school, and Patrick O'Brien, a camera operator. He grew up in Springfield Township, New Jersey, until the age of twelve, when he and his family moved to Hermosa Beach, California. His father is of Irish descent, and his mother is of Italian, English, and Spanish ancestry. After graduating from Mira Costa High School in 2009 he considered pursuing sports broadcasting and eventually become a commentator for—or the general manager of the Mets. He had planned to attend Syracuse University in fall 2009 as a sports broadcasting major but decided to move to Los Angeles for an acting career.

At fourteen, O'Brien began posting original videos onto his YouTube channel. With the videos developing, a local producer/director approached him about doing work for a web series of hers. While working on the webseries, O'Brien met an actor who connected him with a manager. He went through several auditions before getting one for the main role in Teen Wolf. After reading the script O'Brien wanted to audition for the part of Stiles instead. After four auditions he was cast.

In 2011, he began playing the role of Stiles in Teen Wolf, a series loosely based on the 1985 film of the same name. In 2013, O'Brien co-starred in the comedy film The Internship, with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

O'Brien takes the lead role in the 2014 film The Maze Runner, the film adaption of the book of the same name. He filmed the movie in summer 2013 while on hiatus from Teen Wolf.[10] Yahoo! Movies names O'Brien as one of the 15 Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2014.

In addition to acting in film and on television, O'Brien has produced, directed, and starred in a number of comedic short films produced for and released through his personal YouTube channel, and he is also the drummer for the independent rock band Slow Kids at Play.

O'Brien has been in a relationship with actress Britt Robertson since they met while filming The First Time in 2012.









Wednesday 17 September 2014

Lily Collins

Lily Jane Collins born 18 March 1989 is an English-American actress and model. She is best known for her roles in the films The Blind Side (2009), Abduction (2011), and Mirror Mirror (2012). She portrayed Clary Fray in the fantasy film adaptation The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013), based on Cassandra Clare's best-selling novel City of Bones. Collins began acting at the age of two in the BBC series Growing Pains. As a teenager, Collins wrote a column (titled NY Confidential) for the British magazine Elle Girl. She has also written for Seventeen, Teen Vogue, and the Los Angeles Times magazines.

Collins covered the 2008 US Presidential campaign as a host on the Nickelodeon show Kids Pick the President. She won a 2008 Young Hollywood Award for "Newest Red Carpet Correspondent". She has appeared in two episodes of the television show 90210, including the 2008–2009 season finale. Collins was one of twenty women named by Maxim magazine as one of "The Hottest Daughters of Rock Stars" in 2009. Collins was in the 2009 film The Blind Side as Collins Tuohy, the daughter of Sandra Bullock's character Leigh Anne Tuohy. She played the warrior priest's daughter Lucy in the thriller Priest, opposite Paul Bettany.

MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the "Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011". She co-starred in the 2011 action film Abduction with Taylor Lautner. Collins played Snow White in Mirror Mirror, an adaptation of the Snow White fairytale, co-starring Julia Roberts. Robbie Collin from British newspaper The Telegraph wrote, "She has an adorable, sensational, almost perfect face for cinema; think Audrey Hepburn with the eyebrows of Liam Gallagher. Her smile is the Platonic ideal of cheeky." She made her singing debut in the film, performing an English re-written cover of "I Believe (in Love)".

Collins was reportedly cast as the lead in the remake Evil Dead, but dropped out due to a scheduling issue. In March 2012, it was announced that Collins would take the role of Samantha in Stuck in Love, starring alongside Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman, and Greg Kinnear. Collins starred as Clary Fray in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, a film adaptation of the first book in the New York Times best-selling The Mortal Instruments novels, by Cassandra Clare. She has also been in talks to star as a leading role in the film adaptation of the parody novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. Later in 2013, after putting away the production of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones it was announced that the franchise is getting a sequel and the screenplay is in works. It will start filming in 2014 and will probably be released in late 2014 or early 2015. In October 2013, Collins appeared in the music video for "City of Angels" by Thirty Seconds to Mars.








Tuesday 16 September 2014

Chloe Grace Moretz

Chloe Grace Moretz born February 10, 1997 is an American actress and model. She began her acting career in 2004 at the age of seven, and her first award nomination came the following year for The Amityville Horror. Her film credits include 500 Days of Summer, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Kick-Ass, Let Me In, Hugo, Dark Shadows, Carrie, and If I Stay. In 2010, Moretz provided the voice of Hit-Girl for Kick-Ass: The Game. Three years later, she reprised the role in Kick-Ass 2. In 2014, she performed in The Public Theatre's off-Broadway production of The Library in March and April.

Her modeling career has included cover and feature shoots for such publications as Vogue, Marie Claire, and Elle.

Moretz's first acting role in Hollywood was as Violet in two episodes of the CBS series The Guardian, and her first film role was as Molly in Heart of the Beholder. It was not until her second big-screen acting role, in the 2005 remake of The Amityville Horror, that she earned greater recognition in the form of a Young Artist Award nomination. After Amityville, Moretz's acting career progressed further when she received several guest-starring roles on TV, as well as a small role in Big Momma's House 2. Her recurring TV characters include Kiki George in Dirty Sexy Money and Sherri Maltby in Desperate Housewives. Moretz also voiced the U.S. version of the animated character Darby in My Friends Tigger & Pooh. Moretz also co-starred as Cammie, an abused child, in The Poker House. After her first film premiere in The Amityville Horror, she has been a frequent guest at film premieres.

In 2010, Moretz appeared as Hit-Girl in director Matthew Vaughn's action film Kick-Ass, based on the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. Despite controversy surrounding her role in the violent film, she received widespread critical acclaim for her performance. Roger Ebert gave the film one out of four stars, but nonetheless wrote: "Say what you will about her character, but Chloë Grace Moretz has presence and appeal." Moretz trained with Jackie Chan's stunt crew for three months prior to filming Kick-Ass and did most of her own stunts while filming on location. That same year, she played Abby, a 12-year-old vampire, in Let Me In, the UK/US remake of the Swedish film Let the Right One In, which was released on October 1, 2010. In November, at age 13, she was tagged as "the busiest actress in Hollywood".

Moretz played Ann Sliger in the 2011 crime thriller Texas Killing Fields. That same year, she played Isabelle in Martin Scorsese's Hugo, a film adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Hugo, which was nominated for 11 Oscars, co-starred Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helen McCrory. Moretz starred in Hick, an adaptation of the novel by Andrea Portes. She appeared in the 2012 Tim Burton film Dark Shadows, a remake of the popular soap opera, playing the role of Carolyn Stoddard, a rebellious teenage daughter. In 2013, she reprised her role as Hit-Girl in the sequel Kick-Ass 2, Upon release, Kick-Ass 2 received mixed reviews, but once again, Moretz's performance was highly praised. The same year, she also appeared in a short segment in the film Movie 43 and played the title character in a remake of the Stephen King-based film, Carrie, directed by Kimberly Peirce.

When asked in October 2012 why she tends to gravitate towards playing darker, troubled characters, such as those in Let Me In, Kick-Ass, Hick, and Carrie, Moretz responded that she has such a happy family life, and finds it challenging to play characters that are significantly different from that reality. In January 2013, Moretz was chosen to play the protagonist Mia in the adaptation of Gayle Forman's If I Stay. The story follows a 17-year-old classical musician as she deals with the aftermath of a catastrophic car accident involving her family and has an out-of-body experience. Critical response to the film was mixed; a 41% positive rating based on 65 reviews garnered by Rotten Tomatoes was accompanied by a critic's consensus praising Moretz for giving the performance "her all", but calling If I Stay "more manipulative than moving."

From March 25 through April 27, 2014, Moretz made her Off-Broadway debut in The Library, directed by Steven Soderbergh. Sony Pictures announced in April that Moretz was signed to play the role of Cassie Sullivan in The 5th Wave, adapting the New York Times best-selling novel by Rick Yancey. Susannah Grant was pegged to write the screenplay and J Blakeson to direct,[29] and a release date of January 29, 2016, was set. Hannah Minghella of Sony Pictures said Moretz "embodies the heart, strength and determination that make Cassie such a compelling character."









Elle Fanning

Mary Elle Fanning born April 9, 1998 is an American teen actress. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning and mainly known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, We Bought a Zoo, and as Aurora in 2014's Maleficent. In 2011, Fanning starred in her breakout role as Alice Dainard in J. J. Abrams' sci-fi-drama blockbuster, Super 8. For this role she received overwhelming critical acclaim and was often cited as one of the film's best aspects. She received nominations for a Saturn Award, a Young Artist Award, a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, a Teen Choice Award, a Scream Award, an MTV Movie Award, and more including a special Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival.

Fanning started acting before turning three years old.[9] She began her acting career by playing the younger version of her older sister Dakota's characters in the mini-series Taken and the movie I Am Sam.[10] In 2002, at the age of four, Fanning won her first role independent of her sister in the comedy Daddy Day Care. Anecdotal evidence of her emerging skill was seen in the decision to cast her in the role of Ruth in The Door in the Floor (2004) opposite Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger. The film's producers originally planned to hire identical twins for the intense shooting schedule, but were so impressed with Fanning that they used only her.[11] Late in 2003, Fanning appeared in Because of Winn-Dixie in the small role of Sweetie Pie Thomas. In 2004, she did voice work in the English dubbed version of Miyazaki's animated film My Neighbor Totoro, in the role of Mei. Later that same year, she filmed I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. In early 2005, Fanning filmed scenes in Charlotte's Web as the "future granddaughter" of Fern Arable played by Dakota Fanning. However, the scenes didn't make the final cut. In mid-2005, she played Debbie, the daughter of Richard and Susan Jones (played by Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett) in the Academy Award-winning film Babel. In early 2006, Fanning filmed scenes in both The Nines and Déjà Vu. In mid-2006, she filmed The Lost Room a sci-fi TV mini-series. Also in 2006, she appeared on the episode "Need to Know" of House: MD, playing the patient's daughter.

By the end of 2006, Fanning began to book lead roles. The first of these was the one of Emma Learner in Reservation Road—the grieving daughter of Grace and Ethan Learner.The film deals with the aftermath of a tragic car accident in which Emma's brother is killed. In early 2007, Fanning reunited with her Babel co-stars, Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, in a small part in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as the younger version of Blanchett's character. Mid-year 2007, Fanning filmed the title role Phoebe of Phoebe in Wonderland—the tale of a little girl who won't—or can't—follow the rules. Phoebe in Wonderland also starred Felicity Huffman and was released in March 2009. From July through October 2007, Fanning appeared in The Nutcracker in 3D, playing Mary. Set in 1920s Vienna, this is a tale of a little girl whose godfather gives her a special doll on Christmas Eve. The movie was filmed in Budapest, Hungary and was released late 2010. In March 2008, Fanning and her sister Dakota were scheduled to star in My Sister's Keeper, but the opportunity fell through when Dakota learned she would have to shave her head. The sisters were immediately replaced by Abigail Breslin and Sofia Vassilieva.

Variety reported in April 2009 that Fanning would be starring in Academy Award-winning screenwriter Sofia Coppola's 2010 film, Somewhere. The plot centers around a "bad-boy" actor who is forced to re-evaluate his life when his daughter, played by Fanning, arrives unexpectedly. The film was released during the 2010 awards season. At its first film festival, the 67th Venice Film Festival, it took out the Golden Lion. In late 2010, Fanning began working on Francis Ford Coppola's 2011 film Twixt, that Coppola wrote, based on a dream he had. She plays the role of a young ghost named V. In 2011, Fanning starred in J. J. Abrams' sci-fi-drama film Super 8 as Alice Dainard. The movie was released on June 10, 2011 and centers around a group of kids who are forced to deal with strange happenings in their small town.

In December 2011, Fanning appeared in Cameron Crowe's We Bought a Zoo. She played Lily, a thirteen-year-old who is working at the zoo's restaurant, and lives on the property with her only parental figure, Kelly (Scarlett Johansson). In September 2012, Fanning starred as Ginger along with Alice Englert who played Rosa in the drama film Ginger & Rosa that took place during 1962 in London. The film was directed by Sally Potter and was released on October 19, 2012. Fanning has received widespread acclaim for her performance, with A. O. Scott of The New York Times writing that she "shows a nearly Streepian mixture of poise, intensity and technical precision. It is frightening how good she is and hard to imagine anything she could not do." Ty Burr, film critic for The Boston Globe, praised her "luminous naturalism that seems the opposite of performance" and felt that "Fanning easily convinces you of Ginger’s emotional reality."

Fanning starred alongside Angelina Jolie in the 2014 Walt Disney film, Maleficent, directed by Robert Stromberg. Jolie played Maleficent and Fanning played Princess Aurora.