Dakota Fanning reminisces her time as child actor

Dakota Fanning is still holding close experiences of her 7-year-old self when she made her feature film debut back in the 2000s. 

Fanning, 30, took to Instagram on Sunday with a picture of her attending the premiere of her first feature film, the 2001 drama I Am Sam, in which she starred alongside Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer.

The Perfect Couple star then paid a sweet tribute to herself in the caption, writing, "i am sam premiere 2001. always thinking of this tiny girl, and keeping her close."

Fanning earned several accolades for that role, including a Critics Choice Award win for best young actor/actress as well as a nomination for outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role, which could have earned her another Screen Actors Guild Award.

Fanning has previously spoken of her experience being a Hollywood star at a young age, particularly one of the strangest fan encounters she had as a child and how her mom, Hannah Joy Arrington, stepped in to help her avoid an uncomfortable situation.

"When I was young, somebody asked me to sign their chest or stomach," she told People. "My mom was like, 'Oh, how about just a piece of paper?'"

On another occasion in June, the actress also shared her advice for child actors.

"As long as you love it, you're in the right place," she said at the premiere of The Watchers back in June. "Sometimes you're working in a cold, wet forest, and if you can still have fun there, then you're on the right track."