How Dakota Johnson Avoided Typecasting After ‘Fifty Shades of Grey': ‘There Weren’t a Lot of Big, Naked Franchises’ (Video)
Toronto Film Festival 2019: ”I’m not going to steer away from anything,“ ”The Friend“ actress tells TheWrap
Brian Welk | September 7, 2019 @ 2:28 PM
Last Updated: September 7, 2019 @ 2:31 PM
Since breaking out as a movie star in the steamy big screen adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” Dakota Johnson has managed to navigate Hollywood through a series of daring indies and projects with auteur directors, while avoiding roles similar to that R-rated sexcapade.
No role has been more different from Anastasia in “Fifty Shades” than the one in her latest film, “The Friend,” which made its premiere Friday at the Toronto International Film Festival. In “The Friend,” Johnson plays a woman who receives a terminal cancer diagnosis and is told she has only a few months to live.
When asked if she found that she was getting offered the same sort of sexy role following the success of the high-profile “Fifty Shades” franchise — as it often happens with many young actresses of a certain age — Johnson explained why that didn’t happen.
“Not really, no. There’s not a lot like those movies. There weren’t a lot of big naked franchises coming my way,” Johnson told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman. However, she didn’t rule out the possibility of doing more in that vein.
“If there’s a project or a film that has a similar plot line — or I don’t know if that would happen again — I’m not going to steer away from anything. I want to do everything, and I want to learn,” Johnson said. “I learn so much, no matter the project. I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing every time I’m working. It’s just what I love, and I hope that I get to keep doing this job, because I’m really lucky.”
“The Friend” is a narrative feature from Gabriela Cowperthwaite, the filmmaker behind “Megan Leavey” and the documentary “Blackfish.” It’s based on an Esquire article of the same name about a man (Jason Segel), who puts his life on hold to move in with a married couple (Johnson and Casey Affleck) to support them through the wife’s illness. But as her condition worsens, the lines between friendship and family begin to blur.
Johnson said she wants to make projects about people that others can relate to and empathize with, and doesn’t have a plan when it comes to choosing one type of character or role over the other.
“My focus is drawn toward story and characters that possess a pretty profound level of humanity,” she said. “I really don’t know, I don’t have a plan. I want to work with great people. I want to work with kind people and make films and shows, and I want to make things that people find themselves in, whether it’s in the story or the character.”
Watch a video clip of Johnson at TIFF above.
5 Best Picture Oscar Winners That Launched at the Toronto Film Festival (Photos)
While Cannes, Berlin, and Venice are all more exotic and glamorous film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival has become the kingmaker when it comes to the Academy Awards. Since 2008, all but one of the films that have won the festival's People's Choice Award have gone on to become nominated for Best Picture, and multiple films that premiered there have gone on to win the biggest Oscar prize. Here are five of those films from the past decade.
"Slumdog Millionaire" (2008) -- While the Toronto-to-Oscar pipeline dates back to 1999 with "American Beauty," it reached another level with Danny Boyle's crowd-pleaser about a young Indian man whose childhood helps him conquer "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire." While "Slumdog" premiered at Telluride, it was at Toronto where the buzz hit full swing, winning the People's Choice Award before grossing $377 million worldwide and taking home eight Oscars.
Fox Searchlight
"The King's Speech" (2010) -- Toronto is a major reason why the biopic that has become Tom Hooper's signature role to date beat out more critically acclaimed and popular films like "Inception," "Toy Story 3," and "The Social Network." Hitting every point in the proverbial "Oscar Bait" checklist, "The King's Speech" delighted the industry-heavy crowd in Toronto, creating a buzz among Hollywood's Academy voting bloc so strong that TheWrap's Steve Pond called it as a lock to win Best Picture six months out.
TWC/Lantern Capital
"12 Years A Slave" (2013) -- While a Toronto film can gain buzz for delighting a certain audience's sensibilities, it can do the same by leaving them downright speechless. The careers of Lupita Nyong'o and Chiwetel Ejiofor can be divided into before and after TIFF 2013, as their powerful performances drove home Steve McQueen's message about just how brutal American slavery truly was. Hollywood deemed "12 Years" an important film that must be seen, ensuring its Oscar victory.
Fox Searchlight
"Spotlight" (2015) -- Going into TIFF 2015, the big talk was about seeing newly minted Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne play a trans woman in "The Danish Girl" or Charlie Kaufman going stop-motion with "Anomalisa." But out of nowhere came a quiet but riveting retelling of the Boston Globe's 2002 Catholic Church sexual abuse investigation that won over the festivalgoers. "Spotlight" proved to be bigger than the sum of its parts, becoming the first Best Picture winner in over 60 years to only win one other Oscar (Best Adapted Screenplay).
Global Road
"Green Book" (2018) -- And then there's this year's Best Picture winner, which like "The King's Speech" saw its momentum start with winning the TIFF People's Choice Award. The victory of "Green Book" has been called by some critics the worst Best Picture winner since "Crash," but the Toronto buzz was so strong that nothing could stop it, whether it be other contenders like "Roma" or an interview with the family of Dr. Don Shirley who called the film a "symphony of lies."
Universal
1 of 6
Toronto has become the kingmaker festival for future Best Picture contenders and winners
While Cannes, Berlin, and Venice are all more exotic and glamorous film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival has become the kingmaker when it comes to the Academy Awards. Since 2008, all but one of the films that have won the festival's People's Choice Award have gone on to become nominated for Best Picture, and multiple films that premiered there have gone on to win the biggest Oscar prize. Here are five of those films from the past decade.