Dakota Fanning stars in the movie adaption of Sue Monk Kidd’s 2002 novel, Secret Life of Bees.  Gina Prince-Bythewood directs and Fanning plays Lily Owens, a troubled 14-year-old girl who comes to live with three bee-keeping sisters, (Queen Latifah, Sophie Okonedo, and Alicia Keys) and learn the true meaning of family.  Dakota Fanning shared with us how the movie will inspire everyone, and just what secret bees have to offer.

Filmazing:  This film has an incredible attitude towards how important family is. How important do you think having the love of a sister is?

Dakota Fanning:  I don’t think there is anything like it. When Lily goes to the Boatwright house she sees what true love is among these sisters. They would do absolutely anything for each other.  I think it makes her feel a longing for that kind of love and that kind of kinship with another woman.

Filmazing:  I want you to give people an idea how tough it was filming a summer film in the middle of winter in North Carolina?

Dakota Fanning:  Yeah it’s so true; I don’t think that people seeing the movie would ever know because it doesn’t look cold, it looks like summer.  Nobody’s going to know we were freezing, but it was 25 degrees at one point.  We were all in dresses, shorts, tank tops and T-shirts being sprayed down to look like we were sweating.  I think it brought us closer together though because we were huddled by heaters, using blankets, body warmth and no-one ever complained.  It was cold, everybody knew it, everybody was feeling it, but we were having such a good time that it didn’t really matter.

Filmazing:  Tell me about working with Queen Latifah?

Dakota Fanning:  She is just a special person. In general, I think she is the funniest person I know, and also the most caring, sweet, and considerate; just like August.  August is the ultimate mother.  She is the nurturer, the loving, comforting, supportive one in the film, and you can’t help but get a good feeling when you see her on screen.  I don’t think anybody could have played her but Latifah. Her eyes and her warm smile bring it home.

Filmazing:  Tell us about the experience of going to bee school?

Dakota Fanning:  It was a really cool experience.  It was incredible to have a little insight into the world of bees and to see how special beekeeping is.  It’s really startling to know what goes on inside a hive, and that the majority of people have absolutely no idea.  They don’t know how much bees do for us, how much they give us as far as food, and how much of the way we live depends on bees.

Filmazing:  What can audiences expect from The Secret Life of Bees?

Dakota Fanning:  I think audiences can expect to feel every emotion because these characters, especially my character, feels every emotion that you can go through in one movie.  I think the audience will be taken on a rollercoaster of emotions from laughing to crying, to happy to sad.  I think that is what you look for in a movie, that’s what I enjoy about going to movies.  People will see amazing actors.  The women in this were incredible. I was so honored to be in so many scenes with them. 

Filmazing:  What do you think the spiritual significance is of the movie?

Dakota Fanning:  Well of course the movie has a lot to do with Mary and her significance.  The statue of Mary is a woman, and she’s an African American woman.  I think that has a lot to do with it because most of the women in this movie are strong African American women in a time where they were very discriminated against.  I think that no matter what religion you are, you can identify with the spirituality in this film because it’s not about a certain religion. Everyone can take something away from the movie.

Filmazing:  What is the secret that these bees are offering us?

Dakota Fanning:  When August says in the movie,“The bees have a secret life we don’t know about.”  I think it’s in their hive and how all 600,000 bees are working to serve one queen bee.  Their life depends on her life, and she is the ultimate protector.  The bees have a sense of community and family.  You can kind of relate it back to the time period and how everyone was so divided; the bees were so united and together in their own little world.

Filmazing:  If you had the chance to write the next chapter for these people where would you see Lily and the Boatwright’s?

Dakota Fanning:  I didn’t want it to end.  You get that happy ending in the end, and I think people will be satisfied with that.  I think people will want to see where Lily and Zack’s relationship goes, and where June and Neil’s relationship goes.  I think they’ll just want to see them grow up.  Lily is only 14 and has her whole like ahead of her.  So, I’m going to leave that to Sue Monk Kidd.