Elle Fanning recalls Cannes fainting incident and Colin Firth’s quick reaction

“It was the talk of the festival," the Maleficent actress recalled adding that she's "known to faint"

Elle Fanning recently looked back on a dramatic moment from the 2019 Cannes Film Festival when she fainted at a gala dinner, attributing the incident to her dress being too tight. The Sentimental Value star shared the story in a recent interview with W Magazine, recalling how the evening took an unexpected turn.

“Yes, my dress was too tight,” Fanning said, reflecting on the moment her chair toppled backward during the Chopard Trophee dinner. “My sister was sitting at another table, and she saw my chair just completely fall back. It’s kind of hilarious — very dramatic.”

Fanning said that British actor Colin Firth was nearby and “rushed” to her side after she fainted, adding, “It was the talk of the festival". Her sister Dakota Fanning, who was also at Cannes that year, witnessed the incident from across the room.

The 27‑year‑old actress explained that fainting wasn’t entirely unfamiliar to her, noting, “I’m known to faint. In school, I would faint a lot. I grew, like, seven inches in one year, and I guess my body was growing so much that I got altitude sickness.”

Fanning also recounted how she addressed the incident on social media at the time with a humorous Instagram post. “Oops, had a fainting spell tonight in my 1950’s Prada prom dress but it’s all good!!” she wrote, using hashtags like “#dresstootight” and “#timeofthemonth” to explain the mishap.

Despite the wardrobe malfunction, Fanning insisted she doesn’t live with regrets, joking about other style missteps such as trying clip‑in faux bangs. “I don’t live with regrets. That’s just not my style,” she said, adding that her faux bangs looked like “a big toupee” and weren’t something she’d try again.

Fanning also shared another memorable Cannes moment, describing a party where she danced barefoot across broken glass without a cut. She has continued to reflect on the unexpected experiences that come with life on the international film circuit, balancing dramatic moments with humor and resilience.