Dakota Johnson talks about how participating in a movie full of controversial sex scenes like ’50 Shades of Grey’ could make or break her budding career.
Different background and viewpoints
When asked about the movie full of hot scenes shown right before the controversial Valentine’s Day, she said that this is an inoffensive movie:
‘I think it’s a fairy tale love story’. The reason is probably because she has a rather special background. Both her parents are famous people in Hollywood, Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson.
Her grandmother, Tippi Hedren, was also Hitchcock’s ‘muse’. Her parents married, divorced, remarried, gave birth to Dakota, then divorced again when she was four years old, reconnected, and broke up again three years later. Both have now found the other half of their lives and have 6 children of their own.
Unlike many Hollywood actors who always pretend that they are a normal person like everyone else: ‘I grew up among really abnormal people (laugh).
I grew up in a Hollywood family, all of whom were artists, creative people, and advocates of self-expression. But I must also say that I am not impressed with Hollywood.’
But when talking about relationships with Hollywood stars, she seems quite normal. Dakota told of a time when she went to dinner at a restaurant with George Clooney. When asked by the staff about the table name, she simply replied ‘Clooney. I’ve never met him’. She also shared that George eats a lot, and that he is the ‘hungriest person’ in Hollywood.
Take on a role that no one dares to take on
Of course 50 Shades of Gray is a big pressure for Dakota Johnson because this is a movie based on a bestseller novel (more than 100 million copies) and the movie’s trailer has nearly 100 million views on Youtube.
She has every reason to worry about the success or failure of the film: ‘There’s something very scary about thinking that everyone in the world will know who you are’.
In the film’s trailer, Dakota plays the innocent girl Anastasia Steele tied to a bed with a blindfold, surrounded by sex tools. This is a challenging role, so much so that many actresses don’t even dare think about auditioning.
When it was rumored that she would play Anastasia, Emma Watson herself also tweeted about this issue ‘Who thought I would play the movie version of Fifty Shades of Gray? Is that true? As if it were real. In real life.’
50 Shades trailer:
Dakota confided that she had to consider very carefully when accepting: ‘Yes. Sure. I always consider. Even now there are still times when I think ‘What the hell have I done?’, but all the while, I’m pretty sure of my decision.’
‘It’s like you’re seeing someone who looks like you doing something weird. I completely distanced myself from myself,’ Dakota said of the scenes released in the trailer.
Comfortable when filming hot scenes
When there were rumors that she was shameless, Dakota answered frankly: ‘If that’s the case, I’ll probably become a monster! I know shame and regret. I am a person. I’m not ashamed of my body. I’m comfortable and think women should be more confident.
I think nudity and ‘hot’ scenes in movies look better when done properly.” ‘I believe in Sam’s (director’s) talent, she created a safe space for me to let loose. The filming was done very discreetly and there weren’t even 100 people around me.
Asked about the fact that her father and grandmother seemed unhappy about these sensitive scenes, she said: ‘No member of my family cares about this.
Everyone encouraged me to do it and didn’t seem to mind. But I don’t want my parents to watch the movie. I don’t want to see that.’
Single but positive when thinking about the future
Currently, Dakota is still single ‘I don’t have much time for a relationship. I was so busy filming, and when I got home there was no one there.’
However, she is still very positive when thinking about the future: ‘My imaginary boyfriend will think that doing Fifty Shades of Gray is cool. He’s very supportive of me.’
‘In 20 years, I’ll be on my farm somewhere, riding my horse. I’ll have a bunch of kids’ She frowned. ‘Yes, at least one…’
