Actress Dakota Johnson has made quite a name for herself, partly due to her iconic run as Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy. The notoriety from that gig has helped her land more exciting projects, and Johnson also comes from a legacy of actors. She's the child of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, but it turns out that she didn't ask them for much advice on her career. According to her father Don, she doesn't need it.
Since both of her parents are accomplished actors, it would make sense of Dakota Johnson might depend on their knowledge. After all, their collective years in front of the camera have taught them lessons about the film industry. Don Johnson was recently asked if the Fifty Shades star asks for advice, answering with:
That bus left, she doesn’t need any advice from me. We have a rule in the family that if you stay in school, you get to stay on the payroll. You go to college, you get to stay on the payroll. Towards the end of high school, I went to her and I said, ‘So, do you want to go visit some colleges?’ And she said, ‘Oh, no. I’m not going to college.’ I went, ‘OK, you know what that means? You won’t be on the payroll anymore. How you gonna manage?’ She says, ‘Don’t you worry about it.’
It looks like Dakota Johnson established herself as an independent person as a fairly young woman. Because just after high school she decided she was going to skip college in hopes of be coming a working actress. We all know exactly how well that worked out for her.
Don Johnson's comments come from his recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Eventually the host turned the conversation to his famous daughter, and inquired about what their dynamic was like. That's when the Knives Out actor revealed the origin of Dakota's start as a movie star.
Later in that same conversation, Don Johnson revealed how quickly his daughter Dakota was able to stat booking work after foregoing a college education. In his words,
Three weeks later she had nailed down that part in David Fincher’s The Social Network, and the rest is, shall we say, cinema history. So no, she doesn’t really call me for advice. She calls me to say, 'Gosh, I would see you, but I’ve got three pictures that I’m shooting at the same time.'
Touche. Dakota Johnson had a small but memorable role in The Social Network, as soon began nailing down other gigs. And after becoming a household name thanks to the Fifty Shades franchise, Johnson is now an in-demand star. So it's no wonder that she doesn't need any career advice from her famous parents.
Dakota Johnson has been in a number of exciting projects over recent years, including the remake of Suspiria, Bad Times at the El Royale, and The High Note. And while she may be best known as Anastasia, you can't deny the power Fifty Shades had over the 31 year-old actress' career.
The next movies Dakota Johnson has in store are The Lost Daughter and Am I Ok? In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.
