'The Watchers' Exclusive Interview: Dakota Fanning

Moviefone speaks with Dakota Fanning about 'The Watchers' and working with Ishana Night Shyamalan. "She's so knowledgeable about what she wants to do."

Opening in theaters on June 7th is ‘The Watchers’, which marks the feature film debut of director Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan (‘The Sixth Sense’), who is also a producer on the film.

Based on the novel of the same name by author A.M. Shine, the movie stars Dakota Fanning (‘The Equalizer 3’), Georgina Campbell (‘Barbarian’), Olwen Fouéré (‘Tarot’), and Oliver Finnegan (‘Outlander’).

Related Article: Director Ishana Night Shyamalan Talks 'The Watchers' and Shares Footage

Dakota Fanning talks 'The Watchers'.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Dakota Fanning to talk about her work on ‘The Watchers’, her first reaction to the screenplay, collaborating with director Ishana Night Shyamalan on set, working with a bird, and the challenges of being part of a small cast.

You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Fanning, Georgina Campbell and director Ishana Night Shyamalan.

Dakota Fanning as Mina in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jonathan Hession. Copyright: © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Moviefone: To begin with, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of this character you were excited to explore on screen?

Dakota Fanning: I was excited to portray a character that's at that in between in their life where they're not super young, and they're obviously not old, and they're still at the beginning of their life, but you're at that crossroads, that standstill. I felt a little like that when we were making the movie. I was in my late 20s, which was not the best time in my life. I just turned 30, and I'm like, I love it so much. Not that there was anything wrong. You just feel in between something. You know? So, I could relate to that aspect of it. When you're a searcher. That's what I really felt when I read this character. She's clearly a searcher. She's burying things from her past, and she's looking and looking. Then I was also really excited by the mythical, fairy tale, folklore aspect of the story. It felt like it was something I hadn't seen before. Mixing that with this suspense and a genre movie, and I was really excited by that. Ishana is just an inspiring person to talk to. She's so full of creativity, and I was excited to be a part of her first film, and it clearly won't be the last.

Dakota Fanning and Director/Writer Ishana Shyamalan on the set of New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

(L to R) Dakota Fanning and Director/Writer Ishana Shyamalan on the set of New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Jonathan Hession. Copyright: © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: What was your experience like collaborating with director Ishana Night Shyamalan on set?

DF: It was great. I mean, she's so knowledgeable about what she wants to do. She had a very clear vision always about what she was looking for. I found her collaboration with the DP Eli (Arenson) on this movie, I felt that she had a lot of ideas for the shots that were not what you would expect. We never did a master two shot. It just wasn't traditional. It was a non-traditional approach to how she would cover scenes and a little bit unconventional. It was cool to be part of something new. She just is a great person. She has big smile on her face all the time, even on the coldest, wettest day in the forest. So, I can't help but have that rub off on me.

Georgina Campbell as Ciara, Dakota Fanning as Mina in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

(L to R) Georgina Campbell as Ciara, Dakota Fanning as Mina in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers,' a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Can you talk about the challenges of working with a bird?

DF: The bird was fine. Honestly, the bird gave me no problems. It did bite me one day, I think it was just trying to climb on my fingers with its beak, so it didn't mean to. It was a very nice bird. The bird's name was Sunshine in real life, and the bird got a lot of attention. People really doted on the bird. It was a great scene partner. The bird was happy.

Olwen Fouere as Madeline, Oliver Finnegan as Daniel, Dakota Fanning as Mina and Georgina Campbell as Ciara in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers', a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

(L to R) Olwen Fouere as Madeline, Oliver Finnegan as Daniel, Dakota Fanning as Mina and Georgina Campbell as Ciara in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers', a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Finally, can you talk about the benefits of being part of a small cast, and what was it like working with your co-stars Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré and Oliver Finnegan?

DF: Oh, it was so great. I mean, it's such an interesting group, the four of us. Everybody has a different age, a different time in our lives. So, I think it was a cool group. Talk about inspiring. Olwen is by far the most physically capable one out of all of us. She's like, "I want to do the fights." We're like, "Olwen, relax." But she's so fun to be around and such a gentle person. Georgina's awesome, and Oliver's awesome. Everyone was just cool. It was just us figuring it out, and we had a great time together.

What is the plot of ‘The Watchers’?

28-year-old artist Mina (Dakota Fanning) gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. Upon finding shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers who are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Watchers’?

Dakota Fanning as Mina
Georgina Campbell as Ciara
Oliver Finnegan as Daniel
Olwen Fouéré as Madeline

Georgina Campbell as Ciara, Dakota Fanning as Mina, Oliver Finnegan as Daniel and Olwen Fouere as Madeline in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers', a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

(L to R) Georgina Campbell as Ciara, Dakota Fanning as Mina, Oliver Finnegan as Daniel and Olwen Fouere as Madeline in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy thriller 'The Watchers', a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. Copyright: © 2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.