The Great is, in many ways, Elle Fannings star-making turn.

Sure, shes been famous for about a decade, but always with the wide-eyed wonder that accompanies youthful renown. When cannibals were eating her in The Neon Demon, her mother was stationed nearby on the set, supervising her 17-year-old daughters employment. She was there when Fanning dined opposite Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, ice-skated to Gwen Stefani in Somewhere, got alien-abducted in Super 8, experienced her first kiss in Ginger & Rosa, charmed a devilish Angelina Jolie in Maleficent and took a pregnancy test in 20th Century Women.

Her parents no longer convoy her during shoots, which is probably for the best: The Great finds Fanning at her most adult, playing an anachronistic Catherine the Great discovering her own sexual and ideological moxie. Good thing Mom stayed home when it came time for Fannings big seduction scene in the second episode of the limited series, which premieres on Hulu this weekend. She was 21 at the time, having gained autonomy after years of consulting her folks on every career move.

I was just so excited because I knew that I was pushing myself in another direction that Id really never gone, Fanning said during a Zoom interview last month. I feel like Im someone that loves being under pressure. I love feeling terrified and I thrive in those situations. And this certainly put me in those positions.