Dakota Johnson is not sugar-coating her Hollywood life anymore. The actress and producer has opened up about the chaos behind her career calling it a constant “love-hate relationship.”
In her own honest words, the film industry can be magical, exciting and also very “shady.” She shared these raw thoughts while speaking at the Red Sea International Film Festival.
Sitting down for an “In Conversation With” session at the festival, Dakota spoke freely about the emotional ups and downs she faces both in front of the camera and behind it.
“Financiers are really shady sometimes,” she said bluntly. “It can be heartbreaking. As a producer, it can be very heartbreaking. As an actress, it can be heartbreaking.”
Dakota, the daughter of stars Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, grew up around fame. But she made it clear that knowing the industry from childhood did not make the darker side any easier to accept. In fact, stepping into the role of producer showed her things she never saw before.
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“When I act, I feel like I’m in a bubble,” she explained. “But with producing, you see behind the curtain. And it’s really ugly sometimes.” Still, she admitted she is strangely drawn to both sides of it. She doesn’t fully like it. She doesn’t fully hate it. But she loves it enough to stay.
And she stays because, despite everything, the joy of storytelling still wins. “Both acting and producing are so fulfilling,” she said with gratitude. “I feel very lucky that I get to do both.”
Dakota now runs her production company TeaTime Pictures with her best friend, Ro Donnelly. Their company focuses on stories that feel real especially female-driven stories about human emotions and everyday struggles. TeaTime Pictures has already backed well-loved films like Cha Cha Real Smooth, Am I OK?, and Daddio. The company is now working on her directorial debut, A Tree Is Blue, which will star Jessica Alba.