When Dakota Johnson tells her family that she prefers a film career to a college education, her closest relatives are deeply worried.
Although the “50 Shades of Grey” star is a third-generation celebrity, her mother Melanie Griffith and her grandmother Tippi Hedren weren’t jumping for joy when she told them she was following in their footsteps because they knew the industry firsthand.
Tippi Hedren is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s muses, she starred in The Birds and Marnie, but her career ended after she pushed the director away when he tried to kiss her in the dressing room. Even then, Hitchcock warns Tippi that if he doesn’t satisfy his sexual desires, he won’t be in a movie anymore, and keeps his promise. The actress’ star is fading despite her obvious talent.
“What happened to my grandmother is horrific. Hitchcock was a tyrant. He was undoubtedly talented and prolific artistically, but he had the power to poison people’s lives,” Johnson told the new issue of Vanity Fair.
However, the director’s harassment of her family does not end with Tippi Hedren. When Hitchcock found out that the daughter of his old flame – Melanie Griffith – was entering the Hollywood show business, he sent her one of her mother’s lines, locked in a small coffin.
With these stories from her mother and grandmother, Dakota Johnson auditioned for David Fincher’s “The Social Network” and won a small role – playing Sean Parker’s (Justin Timberlake) one-night stand.
However, the dizzying success came in 2015, when she was chosen for the role of Anastasia Steele in the adaptation of the bestseller “50 Shades of Grey”. It was this trilogy that defined her public image in the cinema for years and became a burden that she did not dare to speak openly about for a long time.
“I’m a sexual person, and when I’m interested in something, I want to know as much as possible about it. That’s why I was in these ‘big nude movies’. But the version I agreed to was not the version everyone saw.” Johnson says.
According to her, the reason that the original plans to film the trilogy fell through was the disparate team, in which everyone had their own opinion. In this number, the actress includes the author of the books E.L. James, who kept the adaptation short.
“She had enormous creative control. She wanted to approve every step that was taken. There were parts of the book that didn’t work in the film, like the inner monologue of the characters. It looked sweet. But then I didn’t dare say anything. I was very young, only 23 years old, and the whole time I was followed by the echo of what happened to my grandmother’s career,” says the actress.
Problems on set and for the crew also arose when the actor approved for the role of Christian Grey, Charlie Hunnam, pulled out at the last minute. His decision required the entire script to be fundamentally changed to accommodate Jamie Dornan, the actor who ended up playing the billionaire with the secret BDSM room.
“There was a lot of uproar. There was a lot of disagreement, and I kept my opinion to myself because I wanted to promote the film the right way. I’m proud of what we did, considering how things went wrong,” the actress said.
However, does she regret becoming famous for her portrayal of Anastasia Steele? Not completely.
“I don’t think it’s so much about regret. But if I had known then what the movie was going to become, I don’t think I would have gotten involved. I don’t think anyone would have. Everyone would have been like, This is psychopathy . But, no, I’m not sorry,” says Dakota Johnson.
Filming for the “50 Shades…” trilogy led her down an unexpected path to a joint venture with sexual wellness brand Maude, which includes facial vibrators used for lymphatic drainage, intimate massagers, lotions, candles and other indulgences designed for fun between the sheets.
Meanwhile, Dakota has not forgotten her social role either, but instead of talking about politics, she pays attention to the “cancellation culture” trend that has become an ax for some of her colleagues in recent years.
“What I struggle with is the whole concept of undoing a human being. Doesn’t anyone have the right to make a mistake in their life? The point is to realize that you’ve hurt others and that’s not a good thing. But the Twitter universe has turned it into something terrifying. All of a sudden they’re erasing a whole human life, and that’s wrong,” says the star, who along with the trial of Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, was once again convinced that the Internet is a wild and impulsive place.
Alongside the shared courtroom clips of the ex-husbands fighting for damages in front of the world, a video titled: “The exact moment Dakota Johnson knew Amber Heard was an abuser” appeared.
–
–
–
–
“Why on earth did they put me in this? I don’t even remember that moment. I was worried that I might be called as a witness. I can’t believe that people were watching the trial like it was a show. It’s really weird,” said Johnson, whose it is a wish that the fans calm down the passions around the personal problems of the actors and focus more on the movies.
And as for the screen career of Anastasia Steele, she made a drastic turn in her choice of roles. Last year, she starred in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s drama The Lost Daughter, and this year she is set to premiere in the film adaptation of Reason, Jane Austen’s last novel.
–
–
–
–
She is also training for her first action film, Madame Web, for which she says she will do as many stunts as her insurance policy allows.
“I guess movies are my way of keeping my imagination going. I remember one lunch when I was 10, my family told me that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy didn’t exist. My world collapsed, but that’s probably what got me on set. I wanted others to continue to believe in fantasy because it makes the world a lot safer,” the actress said.
–
