Dakota Johnson insists she wouldn’t have a career in Hollywood if she didn’t star in “Fifty Shades of Gray.” But it’s possible that that steamy series will be her future grave.
Being willing to devote yourself to your cinematic dream is something one can confirm about Dakota Johson, a 29-year-old actress and model. The clearest evidence is that she agreed not to use a stunt double in all the hot sex scenes in the 3 Fifty Shades of Gray episodes.
According to TheThings.com, the only time Johnson used a body double was in a sadistic scene, where female lead Anatasia Steele was beaten with a belt. The reason Johson refused was because she did not want her body to have scars or bruises, which could affect other scenes.
“The fact that so many viewers are watching the series is fantastic. Without that, I wouldn’t have had a film career. I won’t have a platform to promote,” Johnson said in an interview with AoL.com on the occasion of Fifty Shades Freed’s release.
Son of a wealthy family, has been acting since he was 10 years old
Indeed, if it weren’t for Fifty Shades of Gray, Johson wouldn’t be so famous even though she’s a descendant and has movie blood running through her body. Johnson is the child of actress Melanie Griffith and actor Don Johson. Her stepfather is Spanish actor and director Antonio Banderas (famous for the film series The Mask of Zorro).
Then Johnson’s parents divorced, and she had to divide her time with each of them. In an interview with Vogue magazine, Johnson admitted that at that time she tried to relieve her sadness with alcohol and drugs. “I always feel lost. I didn’t have an anchor to hold me back,” Johnson confided. Johnson’s childhood was not easy. Her parents followed acting careers and moved frequently, making the little girl rarely have a permanent, stable place to live. She can’t remember how many schools she went to or the number of friends she was close to and lost contact with, because her family only stayed in each place for a few months.
School was torture and Johnson hated studying. At age 17, Johnson had to go to rehab for alcohol and drug addiction. But then the young girl also overcame the difficulties of life. When she was in high school, she worked as a model and earned quite a lot of money.
But cinema is truly Johnson’s dream. “Throughout my childhood, I was always on film sets, surrounded by directors, actors and film enthusiasts. My family watches movies and makes movies. So I always wanted to act in movies,” Johnson said.
At the age of 10, Johnson starred in his first film Crazy in Alabama with his mother Melanie Griffith, directed by his stepfather Antonio Banderas. Although she has a good launching pad, her Hollywood career did not come easily.
Before Fifty Shades of Gray, Johnson only had a few small roles in films such as The Social Network, Beastly, Chloe and Theo, For Ellen, Goats, The Five-Year Engagement, 21 Jump Street…
In 2012, Johnson was chosen to star in the television series Ben and Kate, but this show was discontinued after only one season. Her next role in Need for Speed also did not leave any significant impression. However, those small roles are the foundation for Johnson to have the opportunity to appear in the Fifty Shades of Gray film series.
The role of a lifetime in the series was severely criticized
Before Johnson, the producers of Fifty Shades of Gray considered a number of beautiful actresses such as Emilia Clarke, Alicia Vikander, Imogen Poots, Elizabeth Olsen, Shailene Woodley, Felicity Jones… But in the end, Johnson was the one chosen to take on the role. as Anatasia Steele.
To date, the films Fifty Shades of Gray, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed with an investment of 150 million USD have earned more than 1 billion USD. However, this series of films is considered a disaster by film critics, silly, bland, empty… to the point that even the naked and hot sex scenes cannot save it.
Contrary to rumors that Johnson despises the Fifty Shades of Gray series, she affirms: “I am extremely proud of it.” She emphasized that she learned a lot from this series. “I understand what kind of people I want to work with, that I can pursue my dreams by working hard, that I need to stand up for myself even when others don’t like it.”
However, the role of Anatasia Steele may have brought fame to Johnson, but it may not have helped affirm a place for her in Hollywood. Because as critics say, Anatasia Steele is a pitiful girl who doesn’t respect herself, has no sense of feminism, and always makes stupid decisions that are incomprehensible.
Such a role is not the stuff that can make a star. On Vice, critic Jason Bailey assessed Johnson as an actor with real talent, not just a charming appearance.
She tried very hard as Anatasia Steele, but the problem was that the script was too limited and weak for her to thrive. Expert Bailey said that the disastrous Fifty Shades of Gray series turned Johnson into a “hostage”.
Elizabeth Berkley was a promising actress before starring in the porn film Showgirls directed by Paul Verhoeven. Berkley’s career completely collapsed, people only remember her for her nude scenes in movies.
Another problem is that the film capital of Hollywood shows little tolerance for actresses who switch from “good family” roles to sexy, hot roles.
Demi Moore was an A-list star in Hollywood in the 1990s with a series of famous films such as Ghost, A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal and Disclosure. But after receiving a record salary of 12.5 million USD to play the role of a stripper in Striptease, Moore declined miserably, not having a single decent movie left.
And the role of a stripper in I Know Who Killed Me was the final nail in the coffin that buried Lindsay Lohan’s career. Therefore, the next step in Johnson’s career will be a huge challenge, because now people only remember her as the silly “dirty” Anatasia Steele, constantly having sex naked.
At least Johnson has escaped the sadistic, masochistic world of the Fifty Shades of Gray franchise, thereby freeing himself to pursue a future in Hollywood.
