Dakota Johnson Calls Office Role Her Career's Biggest Regret
The actress opens up about her disappointing experience on The Office finale, revealing why those two weeks of filming became a nightmare despite her love for the show.
People often say it's not what happens to you but how you handle it afterward. Dakota Johnson certainly proved that theory when dealing with the aftermath of Madame Web, the Marvel disaster that bombed so spectacularly it collected Golden Raspberry awards like confetti. The film flopped so hard it could have seriously damaged Johnson's rising career, which had already weathered the critical beating of the later Fifty Shades of Grey movies.
Sure, Johnson doesn't face the same pressures as most people. Her parents are Miami Vice star Don Johnson and actress Melanie Griffith. But even with that safety net, a complete career meltdown would probably sting for at least a few days. She's actually talked about another role that affected her much more negatively. Back in 2013, she appeared in The Office's final season as a young accountant hired by Dwight Schrute. Producers even considered giving her a spinoff.
The Office Experience Gone Wrong
Johnson was a huge fan of the Steve Carell comedy and got excited when producers called. Things didn't work out like she hoped. She told Seth Myers: "That was honestly the worst time of my life. I loved that show [The Office] so much. And they were like, 'Do you want to be in the series finale?' I was like, 'Of course,' thinking that I'd show up for like half a day. I was there for two weeks, and I'm barely in the f***ing show."
The disappointment didn't slow her down much. She landed the Fifty Shades lead role barely a year later, earning more Golden Raspberry nominations. She also appeared with Johnny Depp in the 2015 mob film Black Mass.
Career Transformation
Johnson's trajectory shifted when she took the lead in 2018's Suspiria remake. The horror film, directed by Call Me by Your Name's Luca Guadagnino with a Thom Yorke soundtrack, earned critical praise for Johnson's performance. This success led to more interesting projects, including the excellent 2019 comedy The Peanut Butter Falcon and Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut The Lost Daughter.
Then came 2024's Madame Web catastrophe. Johnson handled that disaster with characteristic humor: "...you can't do anything about it. Like, what am I going to do, fucking cry about Madame Web? No. I'm gonna laugh." A reasonable approach to dealing with internet outrage over superhero movies.
Johnson has several projects ahead. She'll support Anne Hathaway and Josh Hartnett in the thriller Verity. She's also directing her own film, A Tree is Blue, starring Jessica Alba and Charli XCX.