If you're wondering what kind of toll shooting a film like Fifty Shades of Grey can take on an actor, allow the movie's biggest star to explain: It can be brutal. In her February 2016 interview with Vogue UK, Dakota Johnson revealed that she experienced an "emotional void" after Fifty Shades wrapped.
The 26-year-old actress, who will begin shooting the sequel Fifty Shades Darker in the next few weeks, told the British fashion magazine that she is proud of her work as Anastasia Steele and doesn't feel the need to distance herself from the Blockbuster hit. The film made her a household name and opened up several doors in the industry that might have remained locked -- Dakota doesn't take that fact for granted.
At the same time, playing Anastasia -- a character whom Jamie Dornan described as one who had to be "naked, and not just in the flesh" -- wasn't easy for Dakota. Regarding after she wrapped up the film last year, Dakota admitted:
It feels like a lifetime ago. I feel like I've been five different people since then. What did I do afterwards? I was working -- I kept going. The night I hosted Saturday Night Live was the end of promoting the movie. And then I think I blacked it out. I went into an emotional void.
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One advantage Dakota has over other actresses of her generation: As the daughter of Melanie Griffith and the granddaughter of legendary actress Tippi Hedren, she grew up in the industry and watched her mom go from being one of the most sought-after stars in the business to relative obscurity -- something she attributes to aging and sexism in Hollywood. In other words, Dakota knows the deal.
Here's what she had to say about it:
Why isn't my mother in movies? She's an extraordinary actress! Why isn't my grandmother in movies? This industry is f--ing brutal. No matter how tough you are, sometimes there's the feeling of not being wanted. It's absurd and cut-throat. Whenever I have downtime, I'm unsure that I will ever work again. I don't know what it is, but it's a definite thing that happens to me.
The highs are probably amazing when you're an "it" girl, but the way Dakota describes it, the lows are extremely low when you're no longer in demand. It sounds like Dakota has a good head on her shoulders and has the wisdom it takes to stand the test of time in Hollywood.
She's going to need it — she's bound to become even more famous with the release of Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
Image via Richie Buxo/Splash News