Elle Fanning is dark and damaged in Ben Affleck’s Live by Night

Elle Fanning has enough range to play a saint or a sinner. For example, she was Princess Aurora in the fantasy Maleficent and now she portrays a southern preacher with a sordid past in Ben Affleck’s Prohibition- era mob movie Live by Night. Based on Dennis Lehane’s crime novel, the film features Affleck as gangster Joe Coughlin who moves from Boston to Tampa to set up shop.

Co- starring are Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, Chris Messina, Brendan Gleeson and Chris Cooper, but Fanning stands out with her portrayal of a fallen angel. “Loretta is very damaged, and she’s had a tragic life,” says the 18-year-old from her home in L.A. “I was the most scared when I started playing her because she really affected me.”

Indeed, Affleck decided three years ago that the actress was the perfect against-type performer for the role. When the production finally came together he re- connected with her. “I first met with Ben for the role when I was 15,” she says. “There was no possible way I thought I would get the part, but Ben decided I would be able to play her so I was really excited.”

As it turned out, Fanning had only a 10- day window to do the role when the time came but they decided to make it work. “I really just sort of popped in, and had no rehearsal, so my adrenalin was always gushing,” Fanning says. “I tried to use my nerves to my advantage.”

Since most of her scenes are with Affleck’s Coughlin, Fanning had a few other things to overcome, as well. The actress is a big fan of Affleck, the actor, director, writer and producer, so she had to get past her stargazing quickly. “At first, I was anxious because he’s the director and acting in the movie and most of my scenes are with him,” Fanning says. “I wasn’t sure how that was going to work but it turned out to be an advantage for both of us.”