Dakota Fanning struggled to secure adult roles

Dakota Fanning's early success made it harder for her to transition into adult film roles.

The former child star revealed her rise to fame in film roles such as War of the Worlds opposite Tom Cruise, and Man on Fire with Denzel Washington, contributed to some building up preconceived notions about the 22-year-old.

Her role in 2001 film I Am Sam earned her a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Award at age eight in 2002, making her the youngest nominee in history.

Subsequently, her child stardom led to constant questions from film industry insiders about whether she would continue to enjoy success as an adult.

"People would always say to you: 'Are you worried about growing up? Are you still going to be able to act?'" Dakota revealed in an interview with the Press Association (PA).

Hinting that the constant questioning took its toll on her she added: "It would make you crazy and it would make you act out or think you need to grow up too fast, and that leads to making mistakes. I'm a very rational, logical person so that was never an option for me because I don't want that for my life.

“But I can kind of understand it because it could turn you into a very insecure person, very easily."

Dakota has since made the leap to grown-up stardom with memorable performances in films The Runaways, The Secret Life of Bees and The Twilight Saga movie franchise.

She is currently at the Toronto International Film Festival, promoting her leading roles in movies Brimstone and American Pastoral.

The actress stars alongside Game of Thrones star Kit Harington and Peaky Blinders' Paul Anderson in Brimstone - a gritty revenge western about a young woman in a frontier community who goes on the run when she is targeted by a preacher.

In American Pastoral, she plays Scottish actor Ewan McGregor's daughter in his directorial debut, an adaptation of Philip Roth's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Looking back on her early success and the "annoying" misconceptions Dakota concedes: "There were definitely times when it would be annoying but I definitely have made my peace with that and have done the best I can."

The Toronto International Film Festival runs until Sunday (18Sep16).