Fans have noticed an interesting connection between Jack Black’s remarks about Elle Fanning’s unexpected crush on him and a film from the early 2000s that helped establish his acting career.
In a surprising revelation, Fanning recently shared during a Vanity Fair interview that she has a crush on an older actor not typically seen as a heartthrob.
The actress, known for her roles in The Great and Maleficent, and as the sister of acclaimed actress Dakota Fanning, confessed that her biggest crush is Jack Black.
Despite the significant age difference of nearly 30 years and Black not being the usual Hollywood heartthrob, Fanning described him as ‘the hottest man I’ve ever seen in my life hot. Like sex on legs’.
Following Fanning’s September interview, Black responded with a TikTok video promoting his upcoming Anaconda reboot with Paul Rudd, humorously describing Fanning’s feelings as ‘goblin dysmorphia’.
“Have you ever heard of body dysmorphia?” Black asked his co-star, explaining that people often see a distorted version of themselves in the mirror.
He then joked: “She looks at me — which objectively is a goblin gremlin — and she sees this gorgeous creature,” suggesting she had ‘goblin dysmorphia’.
Despite his surprise, Black surely appreciated the compliment from the talented actress.
“I appreciate it, but I have to close my eyes because I can’t quite process what I’m hearing there. But thank you, Elle,” he said.
Fans, upon hearing Black’s response, were reminded of one of his notable movies, Shallow Hal, which is now seen as controversial.
In this film, Black’s character Hal Larson, under a spell, perceives Gwyneth Paltrow’s character as a beautiful, slim blonde.
The plot involves Hal being cursed by Tony Robbins to see people’s inner beauty, leading him to fall for Rosemary Shanahan (Paltrow), who, in reality, doesn’t match the slim image he perceives.
Fans quickly noted the similarities between Black’s ‘goblin’ comment and the film’s premise, especially in light of current views on body positivity.
One fan commented, “I’m not sure why he didn’t drop a Shallow Hal comment.”
Another agreed, saying, “I thought the same, but I’m pretty sure Shallow Hal is a touchy subject lol. Nobody from the show seems proud of that one.”
“Had the same thought too! He’s living Shallow Hal,” added another fan.
While Black appreciated Fanning’s words, he also humorously addressed her partner, Gus Wenner, CEO of Rolling Stone magazine.
Black quipped: “And to the boyfriend, dude — we got no beef. We’re cool. I didn’t do nothing to deserve this attention.”