Dakota Johnson Graduates from Fifty Shades Franchise to the Marvel Universe in Madame Web

Dakota Johnson is best known for playing protagonist Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades trilogy and now as a superhero in Marvel's Madame Web.

Her natural charisma makes her a standout talent in the entertainment industry. She is the daughter of popular actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. Golden Globe and Emmy winner Don Johnson was the biggest and sexiest TV star when he played Detective Sonny Crockett on the stylish 1980s cop show Miami Vice.

But, even though he was seen with a bevy of beautiful women and known as a hard-partying lothario, that was then. He now admits that Fifty Shades of Grey, which starred his daughter Dakota Johnson, is not his “kind of thing.” Johnson says of his daughter, “Dakota is a great actress. And, I’d love to work with her one day. But. we don't get involved in each other's careers, we're father and daughter.”

Dakota (34), who shares the same good looks of both her parents—Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith—has been carving out her own career, post-Fifty Shades, including: the crime drama Black Mass, the romantic comedy How to Be Single, the horror film Suspiria (2018), and the psychological drama The Lost Daughter. But, she’s now stepping out as Cassandra Webb, the lead character in Marvel’s new superhero flick, Madame Web. Dakota says Cassandra, who gets visions of the future after a near-death experience, is different than most superheroes, saying: “I hope that I did an OK job!”

Dakota rose to fame playing the sensitive but guileless Lit major Anastasia Steele who’s seduced by telecom magnate and enigmatic bachelor Christian Grey, and then enters an erotic pas de deux that attracted millions of fans around the world. She confesses, “I didn’t feel the material was off-putting.”

Sweet but very determined Dakota Johnson recalls her Fifty Shades audition and about diving into the Marvel superhero universe.

Why Did You Choose to Play a New Kind of Superhero in Madame Web?

When I got the script, I never really thought I could play a traditional superhero. But as I learned more about the character Cassandra Webb, I was intrigued by her special powers, which weren’t about her super strength or laser skills. I saw that her superpower was using her mind, and her clairvoyance, and I thought, Wow, I would love to see a young woman show that skill.

How Did You Handle the Action World of Marvel?

First, I’d never really done a movie using a blue screen, where you have to react to like fake explosions going off. It was so much fun. Also, I got to do some action stunts like driving a cab and even an ambulance. That was also so fun. But I tried to get them to let me drive a car into a restaurant…but they said it was too dangerous and wouldn’t let me!

Fifty Shades Changed Your Life, Do You Recall How the Audition Process Went?

I’d read the books, but auditioning was a long process. On the first few auditions, I did a monologue from Ingmar Bergman’s movie Persona, which is a little raw but with some depth. So, it allowed me to act out some. Then I did a bunch of readings with some really handsome actors. And then once I got the role, it was another while to get the actor opposite me. So, then another period of readings with more handsome actors…then actor Jamie Dornan turned up.

What Do You Personally Dig about Movies?

I love movies that are pretty out there and cool. But I also choose to work on movies that are kind at their heart. I love movies because you can lose yourself in other people’s experiences and lives. You can just disappear into another world—like the audience.

What’s Your Take on Sex in Movies?

[Laughs] If sex is dead in movies, it’s maybe because I killed it. In sex scenes in studio movies, people wear underwear, because sex and nudity makes people uncomfortable. Thing is, movies tell realistic and unrealistic stories, and sex is part of them both. And, if you respect it, then finding the artistry in sex for film won’t ever go away

What Did You Learn From Working with Johnny Depp on Black Mass?

Growing up, I knew Johnny Depp and he’d come to our place as he was friends with my dad and his close friend, writer Hunter Thompson. But working with Johnny was like being on a set with someone whose acting is so respected, and it made it a different kind of set to be on. It felt magical just being around his talent and a treat to work alongside someone who’s so gifted.

What Was Your Most Strenuous Training You’ve Done for a Movie?

For Suspiria, I started rehearsing German expressionist dance, and studying how aggressive it was and the total opposite of ballet. In ballet you’re going against gravity, while with this expressionist dance you’re going with it. And it’s very brutal. I strained muscles, threw my back out, my feet bled.

I remember I worked with a ballet coach and physical trainer, a year before shooting. I started to change the shape of my body. And, then we did rehearsals for 8 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. But it was so worth it.