For many actors, it's a dream to land a leading role in a major franchise. However, that doesn't mean that becoming an integral part of a huge blockbuster doesn't come with its own set of challenges. For Dakota Johnson, star of the Fifty Shades franchise, she believes that portraying heroine Anastasia Steel gives people a free license to judge her.
Based on E.L. James' controversial, BDSM-heavy trilogy (a fourth book was later written from Christian Grey's perspective), Fifty Shades has oodles of fans — many of whom want to put themselves in the sexy corset of Anastasia. Yet the popularity of the books and films means that Johnson's starring movie role — her first huge thing — opened her up to a lot of criticism.
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In an interview with Vogue Spain (via Entertainment Tonight), Johnson admitted that there were definitely downsides to taking on the iconic role.
"People feeling the need not only to judge everyone all the time but also to pronounce themselves on it, it’s extremely boring," she told Vogue. "A waste of energy and time."
As for what she wants to do next, Johnson told Vogue Spain that, just like Christian Grey, her tastes are very...singular.
"My interests are very specific, and I want to see certain women acting on screen and drawing attention to some particular issues," the actress revealed to the outlet.
But don't think Johnson is ungrateful for the role that shot her to fame. The How To Be Single actress told Glamour U.K. that starring as Anastasia was exactly what she wanted to do.
"[The Fifty Shades franchise] is not going to be my swan song. It has put my life on a path that I didn’t plan to go down, but I do feel proud of it. And the films have allowed me to do so many different projects and travel so much. In the end, Fifty Shades has plopped me in a world that I really wanted to be in."