Dakota Johnson's Post-Chris Martin Era Is a Fierce Rebellion Against Hollywood's Old Guard
Dakota Johnson is in her full single-gal era, and it’s not about revenge, it’s about empowerment.
The 35-year-old actress enjoyed a Fourth of July yachting vacation frolicking with her BFF, Kate Hudson, in their bikini best. But now, it’s time for business. In her post-Chris Martin chapter, Johnson is ready to tackle her biggest project to date and knock down Hollywood’s old guard at the same time.
Johnson is currently attending the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, where she revealed that she’s prepping her directorial feature film debut for a top-secret project that’s “very close to her heart.”
“I’ve always felt that I’m not ready to direct a feature,” she said at a press conference, via Variety. “I don’t have the confidence, but with her, I feel very protective, and I know her very well. I can see this world, so I just won’t let anybody else do it. That’s the real answer.”
After her lackluster promotion of Madame Web (and honestly, she wasn’t wrong about how the film turned out), the Materialists star only wants to work on sets that are a “healthy collaboration.”
“…If it’s not a good match, then it’s not a good match. And we really don’t move forward if it’s not a good match,” she added. “I can’t waste time on toxic sets anymore, or in situations that are not fun or fulfilling or healthy. That’s one of the perks of [producing], because I get to put amazing people together and make something.”
Johnson called out Hollywood for being lazy when it came to making good movies in a March 2024 interview with Bustle. “You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms,” she pointed out. “My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out b—.”
Her next era is all about power and shifting those old norms in Hollywood. Perhaps her recent split with Martin only fueled her passion even more.
Before you go, click here to see movies directed by women you should watch right now.