Dakota Fanning Shares Reason She and Sister Elle Fanning Aren't Competitive About Movie Roles

Dakota Fanning will always be fanning over her sister. 

In fact ,the Watchers star and her younger sister Elle Fanning have never been competitive about movie roles—or anything else, for that matter. 

"We have a very playful relationship, but we're not competitive," Dakota, 30, told E! News in an exclusive interview airing May 30. "We were never competitive growing up." 

And while she acknowledged that she and Elle, 26, "obviously have similarities," the Uptown Girls actress said that their interests don't usually align.

"We have really different personalities too, so I think that's also helpful," Dakota continued. "We like different things."

If anything, she's found a valuable support system in her sibling, who herself has starred in Hollywood blockbusters like Maleficent and Super 8.

"I definitely just feel fortunate to have a sister period," Dakota explained. "And then to have a sister that fully understands every aspect of my life brings a sense of calm that I don't even know that I have a full understanding of just because it has always been the way that it is."

Noting that she's grown to appreciate their unique bond "more and more every day," the Equalizer 3 actress added, "Just being able to have an understanding of what each other are going through and not having to explain certain things—it's very nice." (For more from Dakota, tune in to E! News tonight, May 30 at 11 p.m.)

With the help of that tight bond, Dakota feels comfortable experimenting with the acting jobs she chooses, which is how she wound up starring in director Ishana Night Shyamalan's new horror/fantasy film The Watchers alongside Georgina Campbell and Oliver Finnegan. 

"I like to try and just do things that I haven't done before," she said of the movie, which hits theaters June 7, "as just a baseline of doing something new and making sure that I am comfortably uncomfortable."

Dakota added, "You can always appreciate when somebody's like taking a risk and doing something new and being creative, and so, I like to be a part of things that are doing that."