Actress Dakota Johnson revealed she worked with an intimacy coordinator for the first time on a recent film, despite her 15-year acting career and high-profile roles involving sex scenes. She shared the news during an interview on Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang.
Johnson, who gained international fame from the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, explained that intimacy coordinators were not part of productions during those films. “She was really great,” Johnson said about the coordinator. “I’m so used to — you know, it’s a sex scene. It’s not sexy. It doesn’t feel good.”
Throughout her career, Johnson has performed in many intimate scenes. She described her mental approach to filming such material during the podcast. “First, it depends on who the character is and how the audience should see her,” Johnson said. “Is she an idolized, hot girl? A housewife? Lonely? Scared? Conservative? That’s the character work. Then, there’s preparation. I want to feel good in my body if I’m showing it. My mom raised me to be proud and love my body. I’m grateful for that because it makes my work feel real.”
Johnson previously spoke about her experience filming the Fifty Shades movies. In a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair, she described the process as “psychotic.” She explained that the final films differed from what she initially expected. “E.L. James had a lot of creative control,” Johnson said. “She demanded certain things every day. Some parts of the books didn’t work on screen, like the inner monologues, which were often cheesy. It was always a battle.”
When Johnson first auditioned for Fifty Shades, she read a monologue from the film Persona and felt hopeful. However, she said the trilogy’s production “became something crazy.” She added, “There were many disagreements. I couldn’t speak honestly about it before because you want to promote the movie the right way. I’m proud of what we made in the end, but it was tricky.”
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