Dakota Fanning is glad she sacrificed a normal childhood to pursue her movie career - as the teenage actress always wanted to be different from her peers.

The 14-year-old shot to stardom in 2001's I Am Sam, alongside Sean Penn, and has since starred on the big screen with Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts.

And Fanning is adamant that she has learnt more from her movie experiences than she would have done as an ordinary schoolgirl.

She says, "I don't want to be normal. This is my childhood. I've been to Australia, travelled and learned about different cultures - some people never leave the country in their entire lifetime. My job has opened my mind up and enriched my childhood."