(Vogue)
Dakota Johnson’s life is about to change with her starring role in Fifty Shades of Grey, and she knows it. “I think about my dwindling anonymity,” she tells Vogue, “and that’s really scary because a very large part of me would be perfectly happy living on a ranch in Colorado and having babies and chickens and horses — which I will do anyway.”
Why did she sign up for the controversial movie? “I wanted to be involved because it’s so different,” explains the actress, “and it’s an intense love story.” She says of the project, “It’s just the most insane thing to be a part of. I’ve never experienced anything like this; I don’t think anyone has. It’s terrifying — and it’s exciting.”
And she’s extremely proud of the finished product. Johnson tells Vogue, “It looks beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it. But it’s confusing to the brain — I still can’t look at it objectively or wrap my head around it. The parts of the movie that are difficult to watch were even more difficult — and emotionally taxing — to shoot.”
That said, Johnson is not prepared to spend her life in Hollywood. When someone asks, “If you have to grow old and knit, where would you live?” she replies, “Colorado — or Nashville. L.A. really doesn’t feel like home to me anymore.”
“Los Angeles is a really strange place,” explains the star. “I grew up there like a normal kid, but it was not until I experienced other parts of the world that I realized how really and truly bizarre to the core it is — inside the homes of the powerful and damaged.”
She goes on to say, “Nashville is only a couple of hours from New York, and people just move at a slower pace there — and they don’t care who you are or what you do…Sometimes it’s nice to just hang out in someone’s backyard instead of prancing around the city. But other times… it’s nice to prance around the city!”
But coming from a showbiz family, Johnson always knew she’d wind up in the industry. “I just assumed that what I would be doing is making films,” she tells the outlet. “Because I grew up around people making films, making art, making music. And being on a film set is the most comforting thing in the world to me. Seeing a catering truck feels like home.”
Her Fifty Shades of Grey co-star Jamie Dornan has high praise for Johnson. “Dakota is very funny — and humor on a film set goes a long way,” he says. “But she also had the ability to be a very strong dramatic actress. She’d be telling a joke one minute and breaking your heart on-screen the next — so she was perfect.” Are you looking forward to the movie? Watch a Vogue video with Johnson below.
