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Before Dakota Fanning was cast in the Twilight Saga films, she was just as obsessed with the movies as anyone else. Though Fanning had an extensive resume of her own up until that point, she too was swept up in the fandom and, like most teenagers her age, had read the books with a voracious fervor. So, when she was cast as in the films, she was thrilled to get the opportunity to help bring the story to life.

Twilight Saga alum, Dakota Fanning
Dakota Fanning | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Though Fanning didn’t make an appearance in all five Twilight Saga movies, she did have a substantial role in New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Cast as Jane Volturi, she was one of the most powerful members of the guard. Fans of the series will recall that the Volturi serve as Vampire royalty and task themselves with making sure that other vampires adhere to their bylaws. Such laws include remaining discreet and not killing unnecessarily.

Dakota Fanning played an evil character in The ‘Twilight’ saga

Though Fanning’s character is one of the youngest in the Volturi clan, she is certainly one of the most powerful. Capable of inflicting intense harm with just a single look, Fanning’s portrayal of Jane allowed fans to see her in an entirely new light. As the Twilight Saga films were one of the first times that fans got to see Fanning’s portrayal of someone truly evil, it was a unique experience for them. Jane’s calm demeanor juxtaposed with her chilling promise of “This may hurt just a little” before dolling out pain certainly made the character fun to watch.

For her part, Fanning knew that the role of Jane was different from what she’d done in the past. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Alienist actor shared that she knew that joining the Twilight franchise might produce a bit of shock value for fans who’d been closely following her career. But, she just chalked it up as par for the course.

‘The Alienist’ star reflects on her job as an actor

“I guess people and fans of the series that have seen me in the movie will see me in a different way, but I think that’s what being an actor is,” Fanning confessed about playing Jane. “It’s getting to manipulate yourself to fit characters. I think your job is to be a blank canvas and take on your characters, so that’s what I love doing. And I love getting to play all different kinds of people. And, yeah, surprise people with my red eyes, I guess.”

Speaking of the red eyes, Fanning admitted that there was a lot of work that went into making her eyes especially red. While most fans know that the actor was wearing contacts, many don’t realize that the contacts were actually hand-painted to achieve the creepy hue.

Fanning had to wear hand-painted contacts in the ‘Twilight’ movies

“They’re hand-painted contacts,” Fanning shared about the accessories she wore throughout the Twilight films. “I’ve never worn anything in my eyes before, so it was definitely a feeling I’d never experienced. But they have someone to put them in and take them out. You can kind of feel them. But you get used to it after a while.”

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The contacts might have been a bit of a nuisance, but Fanning admitted that the definitely helped her get into character. “I think you automatically have kind of a creepy look to you no matter what you’re doing or saying, so it definitely helps,” the actor said about the contacts. We definitely agree that the hand-painted contacts added to Jane’s creep factor. But, if you need a refresher, all five films in the Twilight saga are currently streaming on Amazon Prime.