Dakota Johnson took a break from saying nothing at all so she could cause a stir. The 50 Shades of Grey star is coming out against cancel culture and made a point of praising Shia LaBeouf and Armie Hammer. Oh boy. Here’s what’s going on.
A ‘F—ing Downer’
Johnson is currently making the media rounds to promote The Lost Daughter, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut coming out at the end of 2021. She’s been famous for years, but the best is yet to come. The descendent of Hollywood royalty (her grandmother is The Birds star Tippi Hendren, and her parents are Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson) is already a tabloid star, and now she’s ready to take the leap into the A-list.
In a lengthy interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson covered a lot of ground. She discussed what drew to her acting and what her favorite films used to be. Growing up, she would study Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, and Home Alone. She got her first acting role at just 10-years-old thanks to her successful mother. Eventually, the conversation turned to the #MeToo Movement.
Sticking Up For Her Co-Stars
Over the years, Johnson has worked with some A-listers who are now on the outs of Hollywood. She worked with Johnny Depp in Black Mass, Shia LaBeouf in critical darling The Peanut Butter Falcon, and Armie Hammer in Wounds. Each of these men has been accused of different forms of abuse and they’re typically found on lists of “canceled” celebrities.
Johnson stook by these men. “I never experienced that firsthand from any of those people,” she said. “I had an incredible time working with them; I feel sad for the loss of great artists. Johnson believes “that people can change,” and she thinks cancel culture is “definitely a major overcorrection.” The Social Network star did make sure to say she feels “sad for anyone who was harmed or hurt. It’s just really sad.”
Movie Studios To Blame
Her rage was reserved not so much for the general public, but movie studios. “The way that studios have been run up until now, and still now, is behind. It is such an antiquated mindset of what movies should be made, who should be in them, how much people should get paid, what equality and diversity look like.” She finished her rant by calling cancel culture a downer, “I hate that term.”
The allegations against LeBeouf, Depp, and Hammer are unique and dire. It makes sense that Johnson would come to the defense of her friends. It’s easy to see why these comments could rub folks the wrong way. It looks like Johnson just thinks and all or nothing mindset doesn’t actually help anyone, and the entire system needs to be changed.