And the occasional mischievous fib.
Dakota Johnson isnt very online, but shes sometimes tempted.
She has the kind of virality that cant be studied and to be clear, its not.
I need to be in nature.
Were here to discuss what Johnson does on some of those days at her house: read.
Like,Oh, what is that piece of art shes talking about?
Part of the appeal of books is that she doesnt have to engage in any of that nonsense.
This might include a playlist the author made or information about their references.
Its an interesting choice literary, but accessible; concrete, but ambiguous.
I dont know if Im from anywhere or I belong anywhere, Johnson says when I ask her later.
So, yes, I do relate to the alien.
I readBeautylandin 48 hours and was so distracted by the ending that I left my passport on the plane.
Why did you want to start with that book?
It feels like were setting the bar so high, which I am proud of.
Our book club is literary fiction.
Its not beach reads.
Its not all female authors, but it is female-forward, and its a lot of first-time novelists.
Will the approach itself be different to other clubs?
Ive found in book clubs that youre just kind of on your own.
You watch someone like me have a conversation with the author, but I dont feel invested in that.
And… honestly I love a face serum.
But I also want to talk about this world that this incredible woman created.
Have you seenMother God?
I cant stop thinking about it.
Its this documentary on Max about a woman who claims that shes been every incarnation of God.
She was Cleopatra, she was Joan of Arc, she was Jesus.
And shes managed to convince 12 people.
So theres a cult called Love Has Won, and they call her mother or mom.
Today I was in the shower and I was like,But what if she was?
Because Im thinking about [Beautylandprotagonist] Adina and Im like,Maybe?
Who knows.But Im a real sucker.
I would be the first one to join a cult.
What kind of cult do you think youd join?
But thats what they all say.
And then they all end up having sex.
It does, doesnt it?
Maybe Id be a cult leader.
But I dont think I would do that either.
I am a very defiant person.
Were you like that as a kid?
I think I just find rules and some structure really ridiculous, silly and stupid.
Do your friends and family know how to accommodate that?
You would think so… You would think theyve learned that by now, but no.
But Ive always been the kind of person whos going to do what I want to do.
I will accept and accommodate everyones feelings and ideas and thoughts.
But also, publicly… all that stuff is ridiculous.
Its hard for me to fake it.
Its hard for me sometimes to go along with the silliness of doing a press tour.
Have the last two weeks been weird?
A lot has happened since I saw you playing with baby animals on set for the shoot.
I had the LA premiere forMadame Weband then went to Mexico City.
I was like,Ugh.
And then the movie came out and it was… Like, I cant take any of it seriously at all.
Does it bother you when people write nasty reviews?
Unfortunately, Im not surprised that this has gone down the way it has.
Is there a reason for that?
Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them.
You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms.
But it was definitely an experience for me to make that movie.
I had never done anything like it before.
I probably will never do anything like it again because I dont make sense in that world.
And I know that now.
Thats a peaceful place to be in.
Thats why I have my own company.
In a movie like that, I have no say about anything.
Are you going to adaptBeautyland?
Well, we dont have the rights, but Ive been trying to think of how it could work.
There are some books that are really hard to adapt.
Oh, for sure.
I know Margot Robbie’s company is makingMy Year of Rest and Relaxation.
Im sure youve read that.
But how the f*ck?
I dont know how you do that.
I know you had the experience with50 Shades,of an author being very involved in an adaptation.
What do you think an authors involvement should be?
Well… God, it depends.
Then with something like50 Shades, the author was extremely precious about words, clothing, anything, everything.
Theres no room for being expressive or discovering what is present in that real moment that youre capturing.
Having too many cooks in the kitchen is an eternal problem, especially with creatives.
Its a big f*cking problem.
It’s also about control and feeling powerful, and thats not what art is.
Make your own movie.
Do you mainly read literary fiction?
Are you a bit of a book snob?
I am too, but all of the momentum right now seems to be in erotic fiction.
In the United Kingdom they call them bonkbusters people are really into it.
Because people are so repressed.
People are horny and they feel so much shame about it.
Yeah, its definitely jarring and also sad.
Its not appropriate for us to do that to other people.
I keep seeing these stories about how millennials and Gen Z are having less sex than older generations.
I dont know if theres such a thing as a sexually well person.
Maybe the idea is someone who really embraces their own sexuality, whatever that is.
Or even the idea of acknowledging that you have shame around your sexuality or shame around your desires.
Gosh, is it true that millennials are having less sex?
Comparedto our parents' generation, yeah.
Do you see all the discourse around sex scenes?
Younger people are like, Why did there need to be a sex scene?
I feel like people get up in arms about things just to be up in arms about things.
This culture of hating its so boring.
If theres a sex scene that feels gratuitous and out of context, then yeah, say that.
But if its part of the story and it makes sense, what are you going to say?
Its also like, can everyone just f*cking relax and stop judging each other so hard?
Everyones doing their best.
I mean some people are not.
Some people are really doing their absolute worst and we see you.
Im the wrong person to ask.
I love me a musician.
Is it their talent?
I think its talent.
I think its the way that they see the world.
But I think it really depends on the musician.
Ive known some shitty ones.
Do you feel some jot down of way when you watch Chris on stage?
Or does it feel like youre watching a public figure?
I love watching him.
I could watch him every day.
I dont know how to explain it.
I feel like, I dont know… Im watching my most favorite being do his most favorite thing.
Watching anyone whos so good at something is sexy.
When people are really good at things, it is [sexy.]
Except being a dictator.
Is that shame about sex something you ever reckoned with as a teenager?
Yeah, of course.
Thats an incredible thing.
Its such a leap forward.
What do you think of the discourse around the rise of polyamory?
I think as long as youre not hurting anyone physically, emotionally, psychologically, do you.
I like that people are exploring existence and how to relate to other people.
My stepson had a friend who was saying that at her school, some kids are identifying as cats.
And I was like,OK, good for you.
What was their reaction to that?
Shes like, I guess I have to call [her] Kitty now.
Do you like being a stepmom?
I love those kids like my life depends on it.
With all my heart.
You’ve been in blended families your whole life, and people are fascinated by that…
Are they?
I think people are fascinated by your parents being together, then not, and the siblings and stepsiblings.
It still feels radical to see blended families where everyone is like, Were good.
When Gwyneth Paltrow does an Instagram Q&A, people seem to ask about you a lot.
She posted a picture of you holding hands.
Did you see it?
Im glad there wasthatpositive reaction.
Thats such a big theme inBeautyland, too.
Your chosen family can be just as important.
Equally as important, if not more.
And my two older brothers are not blood-related to each other.
And they are brothers.
And we are always going to be a family.
And most of us are artists.
Even in my adult life and my new family, most of us are artists.
Even the kids, theyre extraordinarily talented people.
So you just are dealing with complex people.
Is that something youve had to work at or did it come naturally with your new family?
It feels very honest.
It feels really authentic.
No ones hiding anything.
I watchedDaddio,which you star in and co-produced, last night and loved it.
How was that to work on?
Well, I went directly fromMadame WebtoDaddio, and that was my salvation.
Sean [Penn] was amazing.
It was so contained.
It was really like a play.
We would shoot 20 pages a day.
Theres a point inDaddiowhere your character talks about the idea that motherhood didnt choose her.
How do you feel about motherhood?
Im so open to that.
Ive gotten to this place where I really want to experience everything that life has to offer.
And especially being a woman, Im like,What a magical f*cking thing to do.
Ive been really tripping out recently like, were not here for very long.
Theres so much to eat up and learn and grow from and experience and feel.
That includes all the pain and the suffering and feeling so helpless about the world.
I do have that incredible friction in myself.
Do you ever write fiction?
No, I could never.
Im so mystified by people who can write.
I can write a really good email or a really good love letter.
Thats the stuff that flows out of me.
But if I have to write something as an assignment, forget it.
Did you find school boring?
And I was in visual arts, so I was painting and I loved it so much.
Do you still paint now?
Would you ever sell your art?
Theres just no way.
I feel that sometimes with writing.
Theres something about how earnest the endeavor is that I cringe at myself.
Theres something so admirable about, say, Taylor Swifts lack of cringe.
Shes immune to it.
She is… but also you dont see her.
I mean, I guess she was inCats, but thats just because she loves cats.
I will never release an album.
I will never have an art show.
F*ck off.
Like, the only musician who is also an actor that Im like,OK, is Tom Waits.
Im like, Fine, you get to do both.
Are you a Swiftie?
Whats your favorite album?
Its such a great album, but I think all of her albums are really great.
I just find her existence really radical in the sense of what it literally means.
Not rad or cool, but radical, and Im totally into it.
Shes a fabulous songwriter.
She works so hard.
She is really kind to the people that love her.
Im just like, do you, girl.
Does being famous sometimes suck?
I know thats a sh*tty question for a celebrity because you sort of cant win in answering.
But I dont want to be like that all the time.
Theres a set time and place to be photographed for what I do.
Thats part of my job.
But to be photographed when I dont know Im being photographed and its a private moment?
That feels like the most invasive, violating, horrible thing.
People say thats the price you pay when youre famous, but I dont believe thats necessarily true.
Youve spoken before about living with depression and anxiety.
Is it something you still have to manage?
Ive explored everything, which is such a gift.
Ive started to be less and less ashamed of it.
Theres such a weird stigma on depression and mental health.
I do TM [Transcendental Meditation].
It is very easy on your nervous system and it just regulates your brain waves.
They say that 20 minutes of TM can be like a two-hour nap.
If its written down, its hard.
I got into a funny little fight with somebody.
I bit her head off.
I dont have a nine-to-five job, so I dont wake up at the same time every day.
So just like, everybody, f*ck off.
Is it ever fun to lie to the press though?
Just to shove a little something in there?
Sometimes when youre in a ridiculous situation, you just have to be ridiculous.
Join Dakota Johnsons TeaTime Book Clubhere.This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
Top image: A.W.A.K.E.
