*Dakota sits with Robin, the presenter, in a chair as two pigs walk around the studio*
Robin: Dakota Fanning has grown up before our very eyes, from her first feature - remember this? - I Am Sam at the tender age of six, to her new movie at the ripe old age of twelve - I can't believe, she can't be 12! The classic, childhood classic, Charlotte's Web. Now after working with a string of Oscar winners she has graduated to a new kind of co-star, one unusually pink, Wilbur the pig! Dakota -
Dakota: Hi!
Robin: Wonderful to see you! And I love that, you're in character because you don't mind all the pigs around, do you?
Dakota: No, I'm used to this! (laughs)
Robin: Who do we have here? Is this Wilbur?
Dakota: This is Wilma and Pebbles.
Robin: Wilma and Pebbles. Had you ever been around a lot of farm animals before the movie?
Dakota: Well, I had done Dreamer, which was horses of course, and in Uptown Girls actually I worked with one pig, or two pigs - but in Charlotte's Web I worked with fifty, so... (laughs)
Robin: Fifty pigs! Because they would start to get bigger, you'd have to -
Dakota: When they'd get bigger we'd get little babies, because there were about four stages of size to Wilbur, so we'd have to get new little babies in, and then they'd get big, and we'd have to get new babies... It was like little, little baby children growing up in front of our eyes.
Robin: Well you are very calm about this. So did you read the book, before? I'm sure you did read the book.
Dakota: I had read the book many times, it's one of my favorite books, and actually while we were doing the movie my sister was reading the book, so it was great for her to read the scene on the page and then see it being performed, and it was great to see what it meant to her, and what it meant to me throughout all the years.
Robin: Was it helpful for you too? Because she's reading it as you're doing it, and then you can realize...
Dakota: Well, it was like I kind of had two scripts because I had the real script and the book, so I just kind of portrayed Fern the way that E.B. White had written her. And so many people have their idea of who Fern is, because they've read it so many times, so I just kind of bundled all of that up to you know, portray her on the screen which was such an unbelievable honor to get to be Fern Arable, she's such a classic character that so many people know, and I really loved that.
Robin: And you know what, you did a marvellous job -
Dakota: Thank you!
Robin: - because it is a classic character and it's one that everyone's read the book, many of us have read the book so you have an idea, and you - you were Fern! So let's take a look.
Dakota: Okay!

[Click from Charlotte's Web plays]

Robin: (laughing about scene) "Oh, nothing! Don't mind me!"
Dakota: (laughs) Yeah.
Robin: And it's a childhood classic, but it's something that you read and you learn a little bit - I don't want to get too deep, but you learn about life, don't you?
Dakota: Definitely, I think it's so much about the meaning of life and the importance of living life to the fullest each day, and while we were on the set - 'cause at the end, you know, Charlotte's babies kind of float off into the wind - and while we were on the set that actually happened! We saw all these little strings with little black dots at the end, and we couldn't believe it we were like "Charlotte's babies! Everywhere!"
Robin: (laughing) It was happening!
Dakota: It was happening, it was happening. We were like, okay, now if you can just spin a web, right here, you can be the three babies at the end! (laughs)
Robin: Aw. What was your favorite part about working on this movie, Dakota?
Dakota: Well of course getting to be with the animals, you know all real animals, and my most important relationship is Wilbur in the movie, so -
Robin: Sure, sure.
Dakota: It was important to have that relationship with all the different animals, and also working with Gary Winick the director, who was just such a creative person, and has such a big heart, and I think that's why he was so great for the film.
Robin: And you had to handle the pig, because don't you - you have to bathe a pig...
Dakota: Bathe a pig, feed a pig a bottle!
Robin: Yeah.
Dakota: Everything!
Robin: So how do I feed a pig a cookie? Do I just...
Dakota: Just give it to him, just drop it in their mouth, right there!
Robin: Oh! *gives a cookie to one of the pigs* They have teeth!
Dakota: They do have teeth! (laughs)
Robin: (to the pig) That's it, I'm out buddy. I'm a one cookie girl. (laughter) So what's next for you Dakota?
Dakota: Um, I have a movie with Robin Wright Penn that's gonna be coming out next year, and then I have an animated movie actually, called Coraline, with Teri Hatcher. That'll be coming out in two years.
Robin: So do you enjoy the animated film? 'Cause that seems to be, you know, still a growing trend. A lot of people are working on those types of films.
Dakota: Right. Yeah, it's very different than, you know, what I am accustomed to. 'Cause it's all about, you're acting with your whole body on the screen, you know, with your face and eyes and when you're doing voice over it's only your voice so you have to portray all of those feelings through your voice.
Robin: Well you are so well adjusted, I mean you have grown up on the screen. You have grown up right in front of our very eyes and you're so extremely talented -
Dakota: Thank you, I appreciate that -
Robin: - and it's wonderful how, your family's done a marvellous job.
Dakota: Oh, thank you. I really, really -
Robin: How do you stay just grounded, and who you are?
Dakota: Well I think it's of course because of my family, my family is so wonderful and so many others, you know, I couldn't do it without so many other people. And I just, you know I just enjoy what I do... (laughter at pigs)
Robin: (re pigs) What is it about these two? How they're, they're attracted to you.
Dakota: I think they smell the cookie on my hand that I had!
Robin: So are you excited about the holiday season? Any big plans?
Dakota: I am excited about Christmas! Christmas is really all, at my house, it's just about being at home, and you know, we have our tree, and our tree ornaments are all candy themed, so we have a candy tree.
Robin: Do you open - (re: pig) oh, showing the teeth there, that's a nice look! - so do you open gifts on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day?
Dakota: Christmas Eve we have a tradition that we always get pajamas. We get a new pair of pajamas to wear on Christmas Day, that's our tradition. We get pajamas to wear, so -
Robin: That's wonderful!
Dakota: - on Christmas Eve, and then my dad's family lives in Georgia so we open those.
Robin: So you're not getting a pig for Christmas?
Dakota: Probably not! Probably not, I wouldn't mind though, I like them a lot, but I probably won't be counting on that this year! (laughs)
Robin: Alright, well thank you so much Dakota, you are a delight, we appreciate that. And Charlotte's Web opens in cinemas on December 15.