In this one life, we are called to make investments in ourselves to advance our livelihoods. For some, this might mean learning a new language or taking a coding class. For Dakota Johnson, investing in herself meant saying yes to the job that meant she’d be ridiculed for a decade over how she said the word “buttplugs.”
Ever since her sexually inexperienced “Fifty Shades of Grey” character inquired about sex toys in a ridiculous scene from the franchise’s first movie, Johnson’s merits have been a staple of public debate. The daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, and the granddaughter of Tippi Hedren, Johnson is a nepo baby three times over, and the public does not like to see nepo babies succeed so easily. But is having to say the word “genital clamps” with complete and total earnestness not the very definition of paying your dues? “Fifty Shades” was not only Johnson’s first leading role, but her first movie in a major (and majorly derided) franchise, developed from a massively popular book series. And while her naivete might’ve been evident, that was also the point. Johnson’s character, Anastasia Steele, is wide-eyed and unassuming. But with a few smaller parts and a lifetime of Hollywood adjacency under her belt, Johnson herself was experienced enough to pull off Anastasia’s dolting ignorance. The films might not have been sold as acting showcases, but for Johnson, they were the indisputable making of a movie star.
