Dakota Johnson

Madame Web received extremely negative reviews and delivered disappointing commercial results. Johnson said she was not surprised by its failure, criticised films designed 'by committee' and according to algorithmic considerations, then joked in 2025 that the failure was 'not [her] fault'. Her comments reinforced the image of a star distancing herself from her own blockbuster.

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Directly implicated

Johnson recounted that after deciding against university, her father stopped financially supporting her and she sometimes lacked money for groceries or rent before asking her parents for help. Some online reactions considered the account out of touch because of her wealthy and exceptionally well-connected family.

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Personally implicated

Asked about the debate surrounding celebrity children who benefit from family connections, Johnson described the discussion as 'lame', 'annoying' and 'boring'. Her comments were criticised in light of her own parentage, as the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, and the access this could have given her in Hollywood.

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Personally implicated

Johnson recounted that the Fifty Shades trilogy had been very different from the project she thought she had signed up for, particularly because of the creative control exercised by author E. L. James and repeated script changes. She described the experience as 'psychotic' and a constant battle, while explaining that she sometimes had to film several versions of scenes.

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Persuasion, starring Johnson as Anne Elliot, provoked a strongly negative response for its modernised language, breaking of the fourth wall and characterisation considered incompatible with Jane Austen's novel. Johnson, as the film's central figure, was directly associated with this highly polarised reception.

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Johnson said she had had positive professional experiences with Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp and Shia LaBeouf and expressed sadness over the loss of 'great artists', while describing cancel culture as depressing and a 'major overcorrection'. Her comments were criticised because they concerned men facing serious public allegations.

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Personally implicated

During a television interview, Ellen DeGeneres claimed she had not been invited to Johnson's birthday party. Johnson corrected her live with the phrase that went viral, 'Actually, no, that's not the truth, Ellen', explaining that the presenter had indeed been invited. The exchange was widely shared as an awkward television moment and, retrospectively, as symbolic of criticism surrounding DeGeneres's public image.

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Personally implicated

Organisations and campaigners against domestic violence and pornography called for a boycott of Fifty Shades of Grey, arguing that the story normalised coercive control or violence under the guise of BDSM. Johnson, the lead actress, publicly rejected the suggestion that the film encouraged abuse and defended Anastasia as a woman capable of making her own choices.

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Directly implicated

The announcement that Dakota Johnson would play Anastasia Steele alongside Charlie Hunnam prompted a fan petition calling for their replacement. Thousands of signatories believed other actors were better suited to the characters in the novels.

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