Before shooting The Nightingale, Elle had set a rule for her sister Dakota Fanning, who was to play her on-screen sister in the World War two movie.

The rule or promise was that her big sister would not act bossy on the shoot as they set to work together for the first time.

“She’s promised me that she’s not gonna boss me around,” she told E! News on the 2026 Golden Globe red carpet. “That’s what she’s promised . . . the older sister. You can’t! You have to treat me like a fellow actor.”

Back to The Nightingale, it was first announced over six years ago. Given the length of time, Elle shares details of when the cameras will roll as the movie is expected to come out in 2027.

“In a couple months we are about to go film,” she shares, adding, “It’s taken a couple years in the making, but… we are finally, really doing it this time.”

The film is based on Kristin Hannah’s historical fictional novel whose logline reads, “two French sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, during WWII, who take separate paths to survival: the elder, Vianne, must shelter a German officer to protect her family in Nazi-occupied France, while the rebellious younger, Isabelle, joins the Resistance to fight for freedom, showcasing women’s resilience through impossible choices and courage in wartime.”