The series “Margot's Money Problems” has been released on Apple TV – one of the strongest works of 28-year-old Elle Fanning, who also co-produced this project.
Five years ago, sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning took a risk and launched their own production company, Lewellen Pictures. They did it to be independent and produce strong female stories. “Margot's Money Trouble” – about a young woman who gives birth to a child, gets into a difficult situation, but does not get lost and finds a creative way out of the situation – will definitely be included in the list of their best projects. Interestingly, the actress became interested in the project even before the book was published, having learned about it from author Ruthie Thorpe. And they were not the only ones: A24, Nicole Kidman and director and producer David E. Kelly also looked into Margot's story. In the end, everyone decided: together – stronger. “We've known each other for many years,” says Fanning. “We should have united.”
While behind the scenes she confidently kept her finger on the pulse of the production, in front of the camera Fanning transformed into Margot Millet – a 20-year-old student who becomes pregnant after an affair with her professor (Michael Angarano). A single mother with an avalanche of bills finds an unexpected solution – OnlyFans – to provide for herself and her son Bodhi. She is joined in the frame by Michelle Pfeiffer as her mother Shayanne – a former Hooters waitress; Nick Offerman as her father Jinx – a former wrestler; and again Nicole Kidman – as Lace, a wrestler who becomes Margot's mediator in court.
Fanning, as always, is impressive – completely committed to the role, fearless, sometimes wild and painfully close to the viewer. Women of all ages can easily identify with her: she is confused and at the same time creative, and impressively determined, but she has almost nothing to lose.
Although many still see Fanning as a fragile, wide-eyed child (Fanning began acting at the age of three), this is not her first experience as a mother: she previously played Empress Catherine in the TV series “The Great.” The actress admits that the role of Margot has become a new challenge: “She is ready to do anything so that her son Bodhi has a better life than she does.”
The character’s decision to turn to sex work—both as a means of survival and as a means of creative expression (she creates an alien alter ego, Hungry Ghost, on OnlyFans)—was particularly intriguing to Fanning. In preparation, she immersed herself in the platform, exploring the diversity of content: “It’s a spectrum. At first you think of extremes, but there are also girls who are just cooking.” For Margot, this isn’t a story of shame—it’s a story of power. “That’s what drew me to it,” Fanning explains. “It’s about Margot finding her own voice and reinventing her body—through motherhood and through OnlyFans.”
While the role allowed the actress to explore new horizons in front of the camera, it was her work as a producer off-camera that helped her figure out what she wanted to do in the future. Her years on set gave Fanning an intuitive understanding of production. “I learned a lot from Sofia Coppola,” she adds. “She’s so dedicated to people and working with friends. I also try to build a team that I trust to create something really exciting.”
And her team is not just professionals, but people with personal stories: Sadie's childhood friend from ballet class, who choreographed the series, and Laura Gary, a studio teacher who accompanied Fanning throughout her school years. It was her that the actress invited to work with babies on set. “For her, it was like deja vu: 'I taught you as a child, and now you're playing mom,'” laughs Fanning. And she adds with a touch of ironic chic: “A real family affair.”
You can watch the series “Margot's Money Problems” on Apple TV.
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According to Vogue.com