Dakota Johnson may be a Hollywood heavyweight today, but it wasn’t always red carpets and designer gowns. In fact, the Madame Web star recently opened up about her less-than-glamorous early days in the industry—and let’s just say, the struggle was very, very real.
In a refreshingly candid chat with her Materialists co-star Pedro Pascal for Elle, published May 14, Johnson spilled the tea on what happened after she skipped college and wasn’t accepted into The Juilliard School.
Her famous parents, Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, didn’t exactly swoop in with endless cash and career connections.
“I started auditioning. I think I was 19 when I did The Social Network, and then little jobs and stuff after that,” she told Pascal. When he asked if things were “scary” after high school, Johnson didn’t hold back.
“There were a few times when I’d go to the market and not have money in my bank account or not be able to pay rent,” she admitted.
“I’d have to ask my parents for help – I’m very grateful that I had parents that could help me and did help me. But it certainly was not fun. The auditioning process, as you know, is the f—— worst.”
Even though she comes from Hollywood royalty—with grandmother Tippi Hedren and stepfather Antonio Banderas also part of her star-studded family tree—Johnson revealed that chasing an acting career wasn’t exactly encouraged.
Speaking to W Magazine in 2022, she said, “See how well that turned out? But I understood. They wanted me to have as much of a childhood as I could.”
Still, acting was always in her blood. From the moment she could remember, Johnson was hooked.
“Nothing old. Zero old,” she said of when she first felt the acting itch.
“I couldn’t wait because I grew up on set. My parents were always working with amazing artists, and I just loved it… I wanted to be a part of it so badly.”
Now at 35, Johnson’s career is proof that persistence, talent, and a dash of family support (plus maybe a few awkward bank account moments) can go a long way in Hollywood.
