Tom Cruise’s annual shoe tradition rolls on, Dakota Fanning says

On Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Dakota Fanning said the annual birthday package she’s gotten from Tom Cruise since they shot War of the Worlds is still landing right on time—and it ’s almost always a new pair of shoes. She laughed that she’s never pressed him on the logistics, but when Horowitz asked if Cruise personally picks them out, she relayed what she’s been told.

“According to Tom, he is involved. So, he’s involved. So, I don’t know. I don’t know the specifics. I don’t ask,” she said.

Fanning, now 32, said the shoes “are always something that is trending at the time.” She’s also confirmed on Watch What Happens Live that the sizes have kept up with her over the years—this is not a case of Cruise mailing the same kid-size sneakers forever.

• The tradition — birthday gifts from Cruise every year since their 2005 father-daughter turn in War of the Worlds
• The gifts — usually shoes, on trend, in her current size
• The first big one — a cellphone for her 11th birthday

That first phone still makes her grin. In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, she remembered unwrapping it and immediately feeling like the coolest kid.

“I loved having it. I loved it. I felt so cool,” she said.

A Spielberg screening reunion

Fanning also addressed a recent photo of her with Cruise and Colin Farrell, which she said was snapped at a screening hosted by Steven Spielberg. She described a giddy backstage catch-up with Cruise that turned into a mini family moment.

“And Tom, my mom and I, we jumped up and down. We were so excited to see each other. It was amazing,” she recalled.

Cruise and Farrell last shared the screen in Spielberg’s Minority Report, while Fanning and Cruise bonded on War of the Worlds. They haven’t worked together since, but the shoes—and the occasional screening selfie—suggest the connection hasn’t faded.