Dakota Johnson has no illusions about the critical and commercial reception of her latest movie, “Madame Web.”
Johnson responded to the negativity in a new interview with Bustle, saying, “Unfortunately, I’m not surprised that this has gone down the way it has.”
She said later in the interview, “But it was definitely an experience for me to make that movie. I had never done anything like it before. I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now.”
Johnson also noted that the final film wasn’t exactly what she had signed up for.
“But sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, what?’ But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand.”
In the film, Johnson played the titular character of Cassandra Webb/Madame Web, a clairvoyant paramedic linked to the iconic superhero Spider-Man. “Madame Web” earned only $26.2 million over the six-day holiday weekend from its premiere on Valentine’s Day to Presidents Day, per Variety.
The debut of “Madame Web” debut marked the lowest opening for any film in the Sony Spider-Man universe and one of the worst starts for any movie based on a Marvel Comics character. The movie was met with an onslaught of negative reviews and currently holds an abysmal 13% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, with an underwhelming 55% audience score.
Johnson also told Bustle that it is “so hard to get movies made,” and she is seeing a shift in movies both big and small, where “decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee.”
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“Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them,” she continued. “You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms. My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bulls—. Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren’t going to f—ing want to see those.”
True to her deadpan humor when it comes to handling the press, Johnson joked during the interview that she could predict the headlines that would stem from her conversation with the outlet.
“Like, ‘Dakota Johnson Breaks Her Silence On Madame Web’s F—ing Box Office Failure,’” she said. “It’s like, ‘No, I’m not breaking any silence. I’m just talking.’”
During her press tour for “Madame Web,” many felt Johnson appeared disinterested and dismissive of the movie, with some social media users calling her interviews “unhinged.”
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“Every unhinged interview that Dakota Johnson gives makes me want to see Madame Web even more,” one person wrote.
In one example of her apparent lack of enthusiasm for the film, during an MTV interview, host Josh Horowitz noted that there was a scene in the movie in which Johnson’s character dies for three minutes.
After Johnson appeared confused, Horowitz asked, “Do you remember that?”
“She does? I haven’t seen the movie,” Johnson said. “You could be right.”
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Johnson admitted to Bustle, “all that stuff is ridiculous. It’s hard for me to fake it. It’s hard for me sometimes to go along with the silliness of doing a press tour.”
She added, “That’s why I have my own company. In a movie like that [referring to ‘Madame Web’], I have no say about anything.”
The “Fifty Shades of Grey” star also addressed the headlines about her needing 14 hours of sleep, revealing that it actually caused a fight with someone she knew.
“Truly, but I know I’ve exaggerated in this interview, and you can tell that I’m exaggerating because you see my face. If it’s written down, it’s hard. But it’s fine. I got into a funny little fight with somebody,” she said. “I was really annoyed by everyone in the world talking about my sleep schedule, and someone that I know was like, ‘But do you really sleep 14 hours a night? That’s amazing.’ And I was like, ‘Did you read the article or did you just read the f—ing headline? A–hole.’ I bit her head off.”
In the original interview with The Wall Street Journal, Johnson said, “I’m not functional if I get less than 10. I can easily go 14 hours,” adding, “I don’t have a regular [wake-up] time. It depends on what’s happening in my life. If I’m not working, if I have a day off on a Monday, then I will sleep as long as I can. Sleep is my No. 1 priority in life.”
With Bustle, she further clarified, “I don’t have a nine-to-five job, so I don’t wake up at the same time every day. Some days if I’m shooting, I’m waking up at 3 o’clock in the morning, and I work a 17-hour day, and then when I’m not working, I sleep a lot because I am f—ing exhausted. Or I’m depressed. So just like, everybody, f— off. [Laughs.]”
That said, Johnson admitted she likes to exaggerate or lie when speaking with the press, saying it’s “the most fun. The most fun.”
She added, “Sometimes when you’re in a ridiculous situation, you just have to be ridiculous.”
