When Tom Cruise surprised 11-year-old 'War of the Worlds' co-star Dakota Fanning with her very first mobile phone

Long before Dakota Fanning became a familiar face in Hollywood blockbusters, she was an 11-year-old on the set of 'War of the Worlds', filming alongside one of the biggest stars in the industry, Tom Cruise. It was 2004, and the young actress from Conyers, Georgia, was sharing scenes with Tom Cruise in Steven Spielberg's big-budget sci-fi spectacle. And it was then, on that very set, that Cruise gave her something she never forgot: her very first mobile phone.

In an old interview for Harper's Bazaar, the story came to light during a quiz segment with her 'Ripley' co-star Andrew Scott, who was asked to guess who gave Fanning her first phone. "Okay, well it's going to be some Hollywood icon... Tom Cruise," Scott said. He was right. Fanning confirmed that Cruise had gifted her a phone on her 11th birthday while the two were filming the 2005 sci-fi blockbuster together.

What Dakota Fanning said about the gift from Tom Cruise

Fanning confirmed the story with genuine warmth, recalling just how much the gesture meant to her at the time. "Oh, my God, I was so excited. I didn't have anybody to call or text at that time. You know, I was 11. But I loved having it. I loved it. I felt so cool," she recalled.

How Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning's friendship has lasted nearly two decades

The gesture did not stop there. Fanning, who has since gone on to star in films like 'The Equalizer 3' and television series including 'Ripley', revealed that Cruise had been sending her a birthday gift every single year since that day in 2005. "Tom sends me a birthday gift every year, and has since that birthday," she said.

What began as a birthday surprise on a film set grew into an annual reminder of a friendship that has quietly endured through the years, long after the cameras stopped rolling on 'War of the Worlds'.
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