Dakota Johnson Fans: black mass

Dakota Johnson told me about the time she tore a strip off Johnny Depp, directing a volley of expletives at the poor man that turned the air blue. Luckily for Depp, it was in a film. Johnson was getting ready to shoot a crucial moment in powerful film Black Mass, in which she portrays Lindsey Cyr, common-law wife of brutal South Boston (‘Southie’) gangster James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, played by Depp. Director Scott Cooper knelt beside the 26-year-old actress and talked her through the scene.

She and Depp are in the waiting room of a hospital, where their young son is being treated for a grave illness. ‘He said: “You might be losing your baby. And your partner has turned on you, making it your fault! Just go!”’ she recalled. ‘I unleashed all the profanities I’d ever learned — and some I didn’t know I’d learned,’ she laughed. ‘Bulger comes in and out of her life, but her boy is her life. And I just imagined the rage that would ignite in a woman who was being blamed for her son’s illness.’

For me, that moment proved that Dakota will not be defined solely by the role of submissive Anastasia Steele, the character she plays (opposite Jamie Dornan) in sex and bondage saga Fifty Shades Of Grey, a big box-office hit earlier in the year. (She will begin filming the second part of the trilogy, Fifty Shades Darker, early next year.)

‘I don’t see myself being defined by anything,’ Johnson insists. ‘I’m constantly learning and ever evolving — I’m full of surprises. And I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve.’ One of them is that she will continue to take small but interesting roles, like the one in Black Mass, so she can work with and learn from people like Depp and co-stars Joel Edgerton and Benedict Cumberbatch. Her character in Black Mass is also surprisingly unglamorous.

‘Lindsey was young, but somehow she’s so old, and so weary. I think she gave up everything for Bulger and for their baby. ‘It was pretty common for a woman in Southie to meet a man, have a baby, and give up her job because the father would provide. ‘But I would imagine, if you knew that your husband was involved in organised crime, there would be a part of you that would be wondering if he would ever walk through the door again.’

It’s all a world away from Dakota’s own life. Her parents are actors Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. Her stepfather is Antonio Banderas. And her grandmother is Hitchcock heroine Tippi Hedren — who runs a wildlife sanctuary full of lions and tigers.

‘I was brought up in an environment where I was exposed to things that were exciting and colourful — and sometimes dark and scary,’ she tells me. ‘My family is never dull,’ she adds, drily. Her grandmother keeps lions and tigers in a sanctuary on the West Coast. Dakota loved growing up around those wild beasts, an experience she has found useful. ‘Yes, it’s true that there are big cats in Hollywood to be aware of, too,’ she says, noting that she can take care of herself. If she wants to get away from big beasts and everything else, she’ll visit an art gallery or, if she has more time, take herself off to her mother’s cabin, high on a mountain in Colorado, accompanied by her dog Zeppelin. ‘It’s where I grew up, and where I’m at peace. It’s a place that’s way removed from everything, and I come back into my body then.’

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She grew up in a family of actors and they all have had significant careers in film. Do you feel you are starting your own career?

Dakota Johnson: It's a start. I decided to follow the footsteps of my parents and they felt concerned, because they wanted me to establish my own identity within the business. I tried to get good roles where I am judged only by my performance.

C. Did your parents help launch your career as an actress?

DJ: I'm very grateful to have the support of my family. I think I inherited, among other things, the strong character of my grandmother (Tippi Hedren) and my mother. But I've also learned a lot from my father and my stepfather.

C. Has it been very hard this year, being at the center of media interest?

DJ: My parents have taught me to take a safe distance from all that is written about me and never let it affect me. I try to keep quiet.

C. Are films like Black Mass and A Bigger Splash projects something you are seeking to evolve as an actress?

DJ: It's not every day you have the opportunity to work with actors like Johnny Depp, Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes. They are people that you're going to learn a lot from, you will help to become better at what you do. I am also very fortunate to collaborate with directors like Scott Cooper, with whom I had always wanted to work because I love his work. I was also moved by the idea of being with Luca Guadagnino, who believed in me, and we got very good atmosphere on the set of A Bigger Splash.

C. What was passing through the Venice Film Festival like, where both films were presented?

DJ: I was really overwhelmed by the architecture of the city. I would have liked to have spent more time walking around Venice. But the atmosphere is amazing and made me think that one day I would make a period film and try to imagine what life was like in the sixteenth century, for example.

C. A Bigger Splash and obviously in 50 Shades of Grey, you were naked. You seem to be quite relaxed in those scenes.

DJ: I've never had trouble undressing before the camera, because it's part of my job. I've always been comfortable with my body, I use it to express myself and to play the characters that I have to give life to. My parents were very open and helped me to feel comfortable when it came to how I saw myself and in my appearance issues. I think it helps if you have a good picture of yourself. It is essential to be comfortable when you roll those scenes, provided they are not gratuitous or distasteful.

C. In Black Mass, you play a woman who tries to do everything possible to deal with life, with a vicious mobster husband while caring for your child. How did you approach the character?

DJ: I saw her as a woman who is in a difficult situation, you want to give your child a healthy family life, although she is aware that he may enter the life of the father, a man linked to crime organized. She knows what is right and wrong and what you would like for your child. Tries to instill values, but it is very complicated with the parent who he has: a very energetic and charismatic man who teaches him it's okay to hit people if you do something wrong.

C. It was interesting to be part of a great crime story like this?

DJ: I was fascinated by the way in which these people were considered outside the law and enjoy the challenge of breaking the law and defying authority. Although they are criminals, they are strong characters, with very distinct personalities and their own sense of values in life. What makes this job really interesting, from my point of view, it is that the women in the film are very strong. They stood in front of men with such strong characters and were an important part of history.

C. What attracts a woman to a man like Whitey Bulger, a mobster who has this terrible dark side?

DJ: Men like that, with a very powerful personality, you have women who are attracted because they are very strong and very charismatic. Those are two qualities that can be very attractive.

C. Would you like Dakota Johnson, ever be attracted by someone like Whitey Bulger?

DJ: (laughs) No, I'd rather be with someone who was very nice and friendly with me. With whom you can have fun in life.

C. You had some very intense scenes in Black Mass. There is one in particular, with Johnny Depp, who will surprise the public and will give much to talk about. How was that experience, being next to Depp?

DJ: The scenes were very difficult because they are very intense emotionally. They are the kind of moments that you really want as an actor. But if you worry about being convincing in such scenes. When I read the script I knew it would be a very powerful and intense moment. But Johnny is so big and so good that it he is a luxury to work with. It makes everything much easier. So that the public will fall when you see the film, I talk about the scenes in which Whitey shows a side of himself that he would never show to anyone but her.

C. What can you tell us about your role in A Bigger Splash?

DJ: I play a young girl who is in the process of discovering her sexuality. Penelope is very intelligent, but has a strange connection to the world around her and tries to know herself through a sexuality that is still not too clear. She does not know who, however, has the ability to manipulate others and play with the emotions of people. She has a twisted side and thinks it's fun to stir things up. Penelope is at a point in your life where you're playing with different ideas of what is and who you want to be. It's a girl, somehow, still in the process to become a woman.

C. Let's look at some of these tattoos Penelope have that Dakota has in real life.

DJ: I decided not to hide, because Penelope, like me, also brings repentance of past decisions that can not be changed now. When I was very young, I did not realize how precious my body was. In this story, Penelope is not yet aware of how precious certain things in life are and how other things you do can have permanent consequences. Tattoos are a way to play with that idea.

C. It could also enjoy the tranquility that roll on the field when they moved to Sicily. (Not entirely sure on translation)

DJ: I spent summers at the family home in Aspen, Colorado. I have so many fond memories of that time in my life ... Especially every Christmas, wonderful, where the whole family gathered there. Sicily is obviously a very different place, but it feels like you are in a very isolated environment and life is much more relaxed and simple. I was impressed by the beauty of the landscape.

C. You have said in the past that you would like to live in your own ranch sometime in the future.

DJ: I'd love to be able to settle down and raise my children in Colorado or a similar place. I grew up surrounded by animals and want to raise a lot of animals the way my grandmother did, though perhaps not the lions and tigers that she still has. I'd settle for keeping horses and pigs (smiles).

C. How was it working with an Italian director to shoot the film in Sicily?

DJ: It was strange because I entered the film quite late and did not have much time to start my interpretation of the role as I would have liked. Luca and I had some amazing conversations about it. Penelope does not have enough life experience to understand everything that she is trying to assimilate. Either to fit in with the adults around who have that and that, in turn, they have a lot of complex issues circumscribed. I tried to compare myself with Penelope and had some interesting similarities.

C. What were they?

DJ: (Laughter) I won't confess! That I'm keeping for me, for my privacy.

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LOS ANGELES—Dakota Johnson was less shy in our recent interview with her compared to our chat last year for “Fifty Shades of Grey.” She was her usual demure and soft-spoken self. But in “Black Mass,” she makes quite an impression despite her short role—she delivers a strong, memorable performance acting opposite veteran Johnny Depp.

Pretty in a black Saint Laurent dress, Dakota occasionally chewed her nails as we talked to her at the Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto. It was an endearing indication that the actress was not self-conscious. She turns 26 next month but she looked girlish, a look enhanced by her becoming hairdo.

To some, Dakota may be a surprising choice to play Lindsey Cyr, the longtime girlfriend and the mother of the only child of James “Whitey” Bulger (Johnny), one of the most dangerous mobsters in US history, in “Black Mass.”

But director Scott Cooper’s casting choice paid off. From a simple dinner scene to an intense argument in a hospital, both with Johnny, Dakota was a good match to the actor. These scenes are an effective counterpoint to the depiction of Bulger’s brutality, who rose to become Boston’s most notorious crime lord. He was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted list until his capture in 2011 in, of all places, Santa Monica, California.

The daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson will be seen next in “A Bigger Splash” and “How to Be Single” and is set to shoot “Suspiria.” And there are those two much-awaited films in her future, of course: “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed.”

The following are excerpts from out chat.

What are your earliest memories of Johnny Depp?

I met him when I was a young girl. We had a mutual family friend. I remember seeing “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” and “Benny & Joon” and seeing this magical person who could just walk on screen, into a room, stand there and do nothing—and you’re fascinated. There are very few people who can command your attention that way.

And now, you are working with him.

Working with Johnny was one of the most gratifying experiences I’ve ever had. You wonder how somebody like that works and what his process is. There was a moment when we were filming the scene in the hospital. It was a close-up shot. He was so energetically, 100 percent there.

It was as though a wave of anger, hatred and complete and utter despair from him blasted through me. I was weeping on the side of the camera and shaking. I couldn’t control myself. I was trying so hard to not bump the camera so I didn’t ruin his scene. But I was like, God, that is an artist. That’s the magic—that’s the thing.

Is this your first time to play a mother?

I played a mother on a television show called “Ben and Kate.” I love playing a mother. I have a lot of younger siblings. I took care of them a lot. I would love to have babies.

I feel that Lindsey Cyr and Whitey or Jimmy Bulger are equals in their house. Even though he does what he does outside of the house. She’s as emotionally tough as he is. I don’t know what the thing is about powerful men that attracts women to them.What is it about a powerful man that attracts women?

Lindsey and Whitey had a relationship that was only between them. She saw a side of him that was gentle, maybe, or a bit tender. She saw the way he loved his son and that was the one thing that really got into his heart. I think that was the thing that drew her to him.

Have you been attracted to power?

Not yet (laughs). I’m working on it.

Did you get in touch with Lindsey Cyr as part of your research?

I didn’t get the opportunity to speak with Lindsey Cyr before filming or after.

There was a lot of information available about her. She has become increasingly vocal about their relationship over the past few years. I was searching for footage so I could study mannerisms or speech patterns but there wasn’t anything from that time when she was with Jimmy

Bulger. Most of the research I did was on Jimmy Bulger.

Second part of the interview after the break