Although Saturday Night Live usually ushers in its celebrity hosts right before a major release, Dakota Johnson will be bringing her comedic talents to the New York City studio two weeks after Fifty Shades of Grey took in over $94 million at the box office. Something tells me her co-star Jamie Dornan won’t be popping by for a fun and lighthearted cameo.
Johnson will serve as the Saturday Night Live host when the show returns on February 28, and what’s more, she actually made the announcement herself during last night’s spectacular 40th anniversary special. The announcement was perhaps indicative of what we might expect from the actress whenever she appears.
Check it out in the video below, which features Jerry Seinfeld doing a hilarious Q&A session. Johnson’s segment comes up around the 4:40 mark.
Is it just me, or did it feel like she was being forced to be there? And not like in a sadism-filled “even Jerry Seinfeld made a joke about submissiveness” way, but in a “we’re going to blackball you from entertainment if you don’t show up” kind of way. This is, after all, an actress who is generally known for being funny, and here she just limply dumps the punchline out before sitting down as quickly as possible. (That dress, though!)
We all know that Dakota Johnson and Fifty Shades of Grey are not the greatest bedfellows, as the film’s behind-the-scenes drama was often spicier than the watered-down BDSM in the film. And we all know that Saturday Night Live doesn’t dig too deep for the subject matter for its sketches, so Johnson will be at the center of at least one Fifty Shades-inspired scene, if not more. Will she bring her usual bubbly energy to the hosting gig, or will it be this same kind of meek delivery? Either way, I think Saturday Night Live needs to permanently add Jeff Goldblum and Tom Arnold smiling to the right of every host.
Luckily, most of the other sketches and scenes on Saturday Night Live's special hit, such as ”Celebrity Jeopardy” and Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler’s digital short. Here’s hoping Johnson can create some viral glory of her own when she steps in on February 28.
