Interview: Dakota Johnson (‘Our Friend’) on compassion and doing things that scare her [VIDEO]

Dakota Johnson is one of the more fascinating actors working in Hollywood today. Where some performers are easily defined by what types of roles they seemingly thrive in, Johnson continually goes for an array of roles that span a multitude of genres. She’s come a long way from her first role in The Social Network and the 2016 BAFTA Rising Star Award winner doesn’t seem to back down from a challenge.

Interview: ‘Our Friend’ director Gabriela Cowperthwaite on navigating the intricacies of grief [VIDEO]

She’s worked hard to shake the stigma of having famous Hollywood parents (Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith) as well as move on from the Fifty Shades series that cemented her stardom by working with Luca Guadagnino twice, first in A Bigger Splash with Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes and again in his remake of Suspiria (also with Swinton), which drew rave reviews from critics, in Bad Times at the El Royale where her performance stood out amongst a very crowded and talented ensemble and in 2019, playing a critical role in The Peanut Butter Falcon which had some award season buzz.

“I struggle with a job that is very external from myself. I work from within.”

Dakota Johnson

Johnson is once again getting great reviews for her work, this time in the new film Our Friend (review), which is based on a true story. I was lucky enough to get to spend some time with her over zoom recently to discuss the project and other topics. If there’s one thing that stood out was just how passionate and committed she being part of quality projects and that shows in how consistent her films truly are.

Our Friend is currently available to stream on demand.