Dakota Fanning’s Birthday Tradition With Tom Cruise — 19 Years of the Same Gift

Some Hollywood connections fade with time, but Dakota Fanning and Tom Cruise have managed to keep a unique bond alive for nearly two decades — one that arrives, quite literally, on Fanning’s doorstep every year.

Speaking in April on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the now 30-year-old actress revealed that Cruise has sent her the exact same birthday gift for 19 consecutive years: a pair of shoes. The tradition began after they co-starred as father and daughter in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 blockbuster War of the Worlds, a global hit that earned over $603 million at the box office.

From Motorola Razr to a Shoe Wardrobe

Fanning recalled that her 11th birthday was spent on the film’s set, where Cruise gave her one of the most coveted gadgets of the time — a Motorola Razr cellphone. “I didn’t have anyone to call, but I wanted a Razr so bad,” she laughed. “I must have been talking about it a lot because that’s what he got me. It’s such a great memory.”

It was during that same period, she explained, that she told Cruise about her growing love for shoes. As a child, she had just started fitting into small adult sizes while on the film’s press tour and was thrilled about it. Apparently, Cruise remembered — and never stopped acting on it. “From that birthday on, he always sends me shoes,” she said.

Kelly Clarkson, amused by the unusual gift streak, quipped: “That’s so random, I love it. You must have a massive shoe collection brought to you by Tom Cruise!” By now, Fanning estimates she’s received close to 19 pairs.

A Bond Forged on a Blockbuster

In War of the Worlds, Cruise and Fanning portrayed a father and daughter fighting to survive an alien invasion — a role that cemented Fanning’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s most talented young performers. The pair’s warm off-screen connection, it seems, has endured long after the cameras stopped rolling.

Fanning’s Latest Role

While Cruise continues his Mission: Impossible adventures, Fanning is about to return to the big screen in a different kind of thrill ride. She stars in The Watchers, the directorial debut of Ishana Night Shyamalan, arriving in cinemas June 7. Filmed in Ireland, the horror story follows her character, Mina, as she becomes trapped with three strangers, hunted by mysterious creatures in a sinister forest.

If tradition holds, Fanning will step into her latest role — perhaps literally — in another pair of birthday shoes from Hollywood’s most consistent gift-giver.