“Madame Web” star Dakota Johnson, attending the Karlovy Vary Film Festival where she is set to receive the event’s prestigious President’s Award, is close to locking in final details for her directorial feature debut.
Speaking with Variety in the Czech spa town, the actor says her debut is a project “very close to her heart.” The film is one she is working on alongside “Cha Cha Real Smooth” co-star Vanessa Burghardt, who she calls “an incredible autistic actress.”
“I’ve always felt that I’m not ready to direct a feature,” she continues. “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.”
On top of receiving the award, the “50 Shades of Grey” alum is at the festival with two films: Celine Song’s three-hander romance “Materialists,” in which she stars alongside Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal, and Michael Angelo Covino’s Cannes sensation “Splitsville,” which she also produced under her TeaTime Pictures banner.
Johnson plays a matchmaker in Song’s sophomore effort and, when asked about the matchmaking qualities required of a producer, the actor says she “cares a lot about how people get along on a set and how people collaborate.” “If there’s not 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 emphasizes. “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.”
Speaking about what she considers a toxic set to be, the actor says that she doesn’t want to face “anybody who’s mean or condescending or unkind.”
“I don’t want to face people who are not willing to collaborate,” she continues. “And then there are obvious things. We all know what a toxic set is by now. We’re artists, so there’s room for expansive personalities, and we’re working with emotions. I love a healthy argument on a set, and I also believe that the most excellent idea wins. It’s not a fight. It’s not a race. It’s a collaboration.”
When it comes to standing up for herself when such toxic situations arise, Johnson says she feels she was “pretty vocal” about her feelings from a very young age. “I think now, just being in the position of being a producer and developing my own films, I can choose all the people who are in it, and that makes a huge difference.”
As someone who has navigated a wide gamut of films within the industry, from producing and starring in indie productions like “Am I Ok?” to major studio projects like “Madame Web,” how does Johnson perceive the idea of success when it comes to filmmaking? “I think that the barometer for that is shifting right now,” she answers.
“It’s hard to measure success based on box office numbers now because it’s so all over the place,” she adds. “[‘Jurassic World Rebirth’] slayed, and of course, they knew that it was going to do really well, but it did so well. I feel so excited that people are going to the movie theater. Even ‘Materialists’ did so well for a tiny little movie, and that’s really, really exciting.”
She continues by saying that success, to her, is measured by “people who felt something” when watching a film or films that are meaningful to audiences. “Honestly, it’s a success just getting a movie finished. It’s really hard to make movies right now and to get people to believe in what you want to say. I don’t think movies will save the world, by no means, but I do think it’s nice to have them around,” she concludes.
Talking about the roles she would still love to play, the actor says she’s itching to play a “psychopath” and “would love to do an action film.” “I’m open to anything. Certain things [just have] to align.”
As for her next acting project, Johnson just wrapped shooting Amazon MGM Studios’ film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling psychological thriller “Verity,” directed by Michael Showalter and also starring Josh Hartnett and Anne Hathaway. Of taking on another wildly beloved book adaptation over a decade after the “50 Shades” series, the actor says adaptations can be hard because “sometimes a book doesn’t exactly translate to the screen.”
Johnson brought up Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s eponymous novel, saying the actor-turned-director “was able to really go into her imagination and soul and put her taste on everything. When that can happen, it’s great, and I think it makes the fan base feel both inspired and maybe divided, and that’s also great.”
“Books are hard,” she goes on. “Everybody has their own image of what the story is. I hope people feel inspired in one direction or another.” When asked about what’s next after “Verity,” Johnson teased a very exciting project she already has lined up but can’t disclose further details for now. Watch this space.
