Dakota Fanning spills on Tom Cruise’s annual birthday gesture 20 years after starring together on War of the Worlds

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For twenty years, Tom Cruise has been sending Dakota Fanning a pair of shoes for her birthday, and the tradition continues today. They first began the exchange while filming ‘War of the Worlds‘.

Now 30, Fanning first acted alongside Cruise, now 63, in the 2005 science fiction movie when she was just 11 years old. He still sends her a lovely pair of shoes every year for her birthday.

She shared the heartwarming story on Watch What Happens Live, explaining that the sweet tradition has continued over the years, even as shoe sizes have changed.

Andy Cohen, 57, asked if Tom Cruise still sends birthday gifts of shoes, and she confirmed that he does.

‘Yes he does,’ she replied.

‘Like what kind of shoes?’ he asked. ‘Really nice shoes,’ she added with a laugh. 

‘I have so many questions!’ WWHL guest Brittany Snow chimed in. 

‘It’s really as simple as that! He’s just always given me shoes,’ she said. 

‘But are they nice shoes, are they sneakers?’ she asked. ‘They’re nice shoes,’ Fanning repeated. 

“Does he know what size you wear?” Snow asked, and Fanning nodded to confirm. “But what if your size has changed since then?” Snow pressed.

‘It has changed over the years,’ Fanning said. 

An amazed Snow replied: ‘He’s got your new size and he’s adapted.’

In the blockbuster film War of the Worlds, Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning played a father and daughter fighting for survival during an alien attack. The movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, was adapted from the classic novel by H.G. Wells.

During the filming of the movie, Fanning turned eleven years old, and Cruise surprised her with a Motorola Razr phone that she’d been wanting for a while.

After the movie was finished, the two actors started promoting it through interviews and appearances, and Fanning began to develop a strong interest in shoes.

It’s so sweet! Ever since that birthday, he’s made it a tradition to send me shoes. I shared that on The Kelly Clarkson Show last year – it’s just something really special he does.

She remembered turning eleven while working with him on ‘War of the Worlds.’ He gave her a Motorola Razr as a birthday gift – it was her first cellphone.

I really wanted a Motorola Razr, and I must have mentioned it often because that’s exactly what he got me,” she said, chuckling. “It’s just such a wonderful memory.”

Fanning then shared that her father sends her the same gift every year, ever since she got her first cellphone. She explained that she loved shoes as a child, and when she was on the press tour for ‘War of the Worlds,’ she finally started being able to wear adult sizes. She was thrilled, and her father has sent her shoes as a birthday gift ever since.

The birthday tradition wasn’t the only topic Fanning dished on during her appearance on WWHL. 

She also groaned about her experiences using the celebrity dating app Raya.

‘I’m over it,’ she admitted. 

‘It’s a lot of people pretending to be creative directors,’ Cohen added.  

‘A lot of founders, creative directors,’ she said.

Her main complaint about the app was the way people described their ideal partner.

‘My peeve with it also is their logline, bio thing saying how adventurous you have to be. 

She described wanting a partner who was both adventurous and down-to-earth – someone who’d be up for a challenge like hiking a mountain, but also enjoy simple things like grabbing coffee and a walk on the beach. However, she admitted that wasn’t what she was looking for herself.

Kelly Fanning has previously dated several people, including model Jamie Strachan (2013-2016), real estate broker Logan Markley (2016-2017), and Henry Frye (2017-2018).

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2025-11-10 21:51