-Our next guest is a talented actress who stars in
and executive-produces the television series "The Great,"
which is streaming now on Hulu.
Please welcome Elle Fanning, everybody.
♪♪ [ Cheers and applause ]
Oh! Hi, pal. Oh!
I miss you.
Elle, you have such a -- You have a glow around you.
It's like you're a -- like a beautiful --
-No, I didn't realize this top is, like,
shimmering in the L.A. sun.
-Wow! You look like a fairy -- a magical fairy.
[ CHOIR VOCALIZING ] ♪ Ahhh ♪
Yeah, I love this. Welcome to our show.
Welcome back. How are you? How is the family?
Everyone good? -Everyone's really good.
I wish I was there, like, sitting on the couch.
It made me jealous watching Kenan.
I haven't been to New York in so long.
-Well, you'll get here. -But I'm with family.
-Yep, very good. Very soon, we'll do it.
Did you celebrate New Year's with the fam?
What did you do?
-You know, we had some plans that we actually --
we had to cancel, but we normally go to my sister's.
And she has a party of some kind with a bunch of her friends,
and I always go over there.
And this year, she was super-excited,
'cause she came up with this idea
that she was going to do a fast-food potluck.
-Wait. What is this about? I like the idea, though.
-Yeah, everyone was going to bring a different fast food.
We had, like, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Domino's,
Krispy Kreme, like, and I was in charge of Popeyes.
-Oh, my gosh! -I know.
It's so sad that it didn't happen.
-Oh! I want to go to this party. -Yeah.
-Next time you come to New York, let's do it.
Let's just start one up. Potluck fast food --
-Yeah, it's a cute idea. We love fast food, so...
-I've got to do the McDonald's, man.
I've got to do -- -Yeah, you bring the McDonald's.
-I'll do the Mickey D'S, yeah, yeah.
Exactly, yeah. -Cool.
You know, I want to ask you this question.
This is a -- You know me. I get down to it.
I want -- I'm hard-hitting, ask the real questions.
And I want to know about this.
There's a rumor online --
look at this right here -- that on TikTok,
user6754189318472 --
fans think that that is you.
Can you confirm or deny?
-I confirm that is me. -Wow!
It is you.
It's such a catchy --
Clearly, you're doing this for the followers,
because it's such a catchy --
-I know. It's so easy to memorize.
-Easy to remember, yeah, of course.
"Oh, I'm user 67584--" Yeah, exactly.
Why is that your name, by the way?
-God, you know, I think in the first lockdown, like --
I say "first lockdown."
But, like, right when everything started, TikTok so exploded.
And I was with my friend. He's like, "You should make one.
Like, let's see what happens. Just do it.
Don't put a profile picture.
Just don't change the name. And let's see."
And I posted, and it kind of, like --
It got a lot of followers.
And, like, TikTok then DM'd me on my Instagram
and was like, you know, "You've surpassed this certain number."
Like, I was just doing it as a joke,
but I don't know.
I post when I want. But it's silly.
It's like little secret. Not so secret, I guess, now.
-No, now it's out, yeah. -Thanks.
-I want to talk -- Let's talk about "The Great."
[ Cheers and applause ]
It's fantastic.
You are such a good actor.
Congrats on -- You're getting all sorts of
awards and nominations.
Congratulations.
Season 2 streaming right now on Hulu.
Do you want to set up what's going on in this season?
-Yes. This season, Catherine has --
The coup has worked, and she's successfully overthrown
her husband, Peter,
which is played by the amazing, hilarious Nicholas Hoult.
-He is great.
-And now, basically, I mean, the whole of Russia,
the country, is on Catherine's shoulders,
and she has to learn how to be a mother to a country
and a mother to her unborn child.
She's pregnant throughout the season.
-Yeah. You know, you posted this online,
and I was like, "What is going on?
And was this in the script?"
But can you describe what's happening here?
You're pregnant. -Yeah.
Yes, that is me doing a backbend on set
with my bump, which was incorporated
into the scene, actually, somehow.
-How?
-They wanted to show kind of Catherine in, like,
a fun way and they wanted her to do a party trick of some kind.
And I was trying to come up with what I could do.
So I asked Tony, our showrunner --
I was like, "I can do a backbend."
So they -- But he was like, "Can you really?"
So, it preceded with me, like, having to go, like,
do a show-and-tell to, like, the props, the set, the costumers,
like, to see if I really could and if it actually worked.
And, so, I was serving macaroons on my pregnant tummy.
Fake pregnant tummy.
-That's crazy how those things happen.
I know -- I heard, at the end of every season,
you paint a portrait of you as Catherine?
-I do, I do.
You know, each film I've ever done,
every director I have worked with,
I have given them a little, like, drawing of my character.
So, I did this for the director and Tony
on the pilot, actually.
It's, like, silly. -You're very talented.
I love these.
-They're, like, little cartoony, but -- Yeah.
-Do people, like, ask you to do their portraits now?
Like, people are like, "Hey, could you do one of me" or --
-Well, I guess I would be up for the challenge,
but they all kind of end up looking like me,
because I only draw myself.
-So if you did me, it'd be your face in a suit behind a desk.
-Yes, exactly.
Little cropped, you know, brunet hair, but my face.
So if you want that. -Yeah, I do.
Who wouldn't want your face? Are you kidding me?
Come on. I want to show everyone a clip.
Here's Elle Fanning in Season 2 of "The Great."
Take a look at this.
-How blessed we are by our Lord.
I bless Catherine the Great,
for she is our new and rightful sovereign.
-You're calling yourself "The Great"?
-Of course.
-Bow before her in worship and praise.
-It seems arrogant.
-It is if you are not great.
If you are, it is just calling things what they are.
-Right. -Shh!
-I have a speech.
-Just put on the crown on me when
the long-winded blessing stops
or I will have you dragged out right now.
-You wouldn't.
-It would be embarrassing for us both
and make it clear I took it.
So maybe it is a good idea.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-Elle Fanning, everyone!
Season 2 of "The Great" is streaming now on Hulu.