Dakota Johnson on Her October Cover, Trolling Friends, and Navigating The Press

The Run-Through with Vogue

Dakota Johnson discusses her Vogue October cover shoot, personal challenges with public scrutiny, and her playful relationship with friends

Key takeaways

• Johnson reflects on growing confidence in her identity since her first Vogue cover 11 years ago.
• She reveals cutting her own bangs as an act of self-expression amid press tour anxiety.

Main topics

• Vogue cover shoot experience
• Navigating fame and public scrutiny

Notable quotes

"Sometimes if I've had a cocktail, I'm like, 'This is a good idea.' And then other times it's telling of having some sort of existential crisis."

Conclusion

Johnson portrays authenticity and vulnerability as essential tools in

Transcript preview

Speaker 4 (0:02) This Speaker 1 (0:02) is The Run-Through. I'm Chloe Mell, and today I'm speaking with one of Vogue's October cover stars, Dakota Johnson. Dakota, Speaker 6 (0:08) welcome to the show. We were just saying that you arrived a full week ago, and you've been doing back-to-back press, which is really relaxing. Speaker 1 (0:16) I Speaker 6 (0:16) want to know how this cover shoot was, because I was really, I was talking to Tani about it, and it's fun that Tani did your first cover in 2015, right? What was different about the experience then and now? Speaker 5 (0:32) I felt very calm. And I think the set was very calm. The first time I was just so nervous. And it was so like, you know, it was very, it was, it was even doing it now is a huge deal for me. But it felt like Tani wanted to access my authenticity and wanted my input and wanted me to be a part of it. And I felt like valued and recognized as an artist. Rather than, you know, 11 years ago, I was like, I don't know what I'm doing or who I am. Speaker 6 (1:03) And Speaker 5 (1:03) Larissa was so calm and quick. Johnny Speaker 6 (1:07) Goodman was the stylist, the legendary, not only legendary Vogue editor, but as we recently calculated, has styled over 200 Vogue covers, which is remarkable. And Larissa Hoffman is a great youngish photographer who I was really excited to work with on this. Speaker 5 (1:25) She was so, her energy is so great and she moves really fast, which I appreciate. And it just felt nice that they wanted to, like I really didn't wear much makeup. I was like in clothes that I felt really good in. I didn't feel like I was trying to be a model because I'm not a model. And that can often feel so awkward and inauthentic for me, but it was just great. And it was also my makeup artist birthday. Oh, fun. Georgie. And so we, like, celebrated her all day long, and I had her kids come and surprise her. Oh, how fun. Her two daughters, and then I pushed them in the pool. And they had the time of their lives. What cake did you bring for Georgie? I Speaker 6 (2:11) got... What Speaker 5 (2:13) cake did I get for her? I got her champagne, for sure. Flowers. What a Speaker 6 (2:19) delightful... Speaker 5 (2:20) Some kind of... Celebration. Yeah. It was so sweet. I love Speaker 6 (2:25) celebrating people's birthdays. What's a recent birthday gift you've gotten someone that was unexpected? Speaker 5 (2:36) My best friend Blake turned 42 or something recently, and we had a party at my house, but I called it his 50th. So I had balloons saying Blake's 50th. And mostly my gifts for him are jokes, and I just try to ruin his life all the time. And sometimes I do get him good gifts. But this year I made him a bust of myself. Speaker 6 (2:59) Oh, wow. Speaker 5 (3:00) I mean, I had it made. I didn't make it. How did you have Speaker 6 (3:02) that made? Is that like an Etsy Google? Speaker 5 (3:04) Yeah. Speaker 6 (3:04) Wow. Yeah. God, that Etsy seller must have Speaker 5 (3:07) been like, huh, didn't see this one coming today. But it's also like just not Speaker 6 (3:11) my name, Speaker 5 (3:11) but it's just a Speaker 6 (3:12) bust of me. Speaker 5 (3:14) It's really funny. And then I also made like pins of him making stupid faces. Like I just have horrible photos of him in my phone. So I made t-shirts. I made pins. There was good merch. Just trying to like humiliate him to high heaven. Speaker 6 (3:30) What's a recent gift you've gotten that you've loved? Um... Or that knocked your socks off. Speaker 5 (3:37) I recently did a movie in Italy with Alice Rohr-Walker. She directed it. And it was me and Jesse Buckley and Saoirse Ronan. And she gave us these, like, painted, these little paintings by this really special artist from an island that were, like, representative of our characters in the movie. And it's just my favorite thing. Oh, that's lovely. Speaker 6 (4:01) That was Three Incestuous Sisters. Yeah. You filmed Speaker 5 (4:04) it in Rome? In Rome and Stromboli. Oh, my God. Yeah. Speaker 6 (4:11) I remember interviewing Jessie Buckley after The Lost Daughter, and she told me how much fun you guys all had after hours. And there's a lot of singing and rosé. Was that the case with this movie also? Speaker 5 (4:27) Yeah, there was not a lot of rosé. We were kind of on like a martini kick on this movie. Yeah, Stromboli's not Speaker 6 (4:33) really saying rosé in the same way. No, it's Speaker 5 (4:35) more like a, like, well, there is a lot of natural wine involved. And then there's like, it would be like a martini night or a Negroni night. Okay, so there would be cocktail directive. Yeah. Was there any singing? Jesse's always singing, and it's the best thing in the world. And it's like no one else would dare sing around her because she's so brilliant, you know? So... So she was just singing. Sometimes, sometimes we'd like bust out into, but it wasn't like after The Lost Daughter nights on set. It would, because that would be like someone had a guitar and it'd be like a sing song. But this was more just sort of impromptu Broadway moments. Speaker 6 (5:23) When does that movie come out? Do we know yet? Next year. Okay. Sometime. You would go over to dinner at Alessandro Micheli's house when you were filming in Rome, and you guys have been friends for a long time. What is your favorite thing he cooks for you? Speaker 5 (5:36) I don't eat fish. Okay. And fish is a thing everywhere. People love it, and I just don't. And so it's always like this really yummy kind of breaded chicken, and then like roast potatoes and green beans and, you know, just like simple, healthy, homemade Italian. Speaker 6 (5:55) I remember when we published His House in Rome and it was just the entire Vogue team like gasped at the same time when they saw those pictures. Yeah. Speaker 5 (6:05) When, what did you guys first connect over? Speaker 6 (6:07) How did you first meet? Speaker 5 (6:09) We met, I think at the Gucci show, like during fashion week one year, I think I must've been 24. Speaker 5 (6:19) Maybe. Okay. Or 25. When he was still obviously a designer at Gucci. He was just starting. Okay. He was just starting. So then we just like became friends and started spending more time together. And then I had a contract with them for like 10 years. And then he went to Valentino and I followed. Speaker 6 (6:43) I love to see when people follow. Speaker 5 (6:46) I will be with him Speaker 6 (6:46) for the rest Speaker 5 (6:47) of my life. He's like truly one of the closest people in my life. Oh, Speaker 6 (6:51) that's so nice. Speaker 5 (6:51) Yeah. Speaker 6 (6:52) There's like, I think there's people that you meet that Speaker 5 (6:55) you have a working relationship with and a collaborative relationship. But when you have the gift and the magic of really seeing each other and it is a genuine safe space where you can have real conversations, you can talk about. the worries and the pain and the magic and the secrets, you know, and you know that that person can keep them for you. And then you also know that you can like collaborate and work together. It's so Speaker 6 (7:20) rare. It's so rare. What are you going to the Valentino show? In Speaker 5 (7:27) Paris? I'm not. I can't go because I'm hosting SNL. Oh Speaker 6 (7:31) my God, right, which is right around your birthday. It is literally my birthday. It's actually on your birthday. It is my birthday. Well, I'm Speaker 5 (7:38) hosting on the 3rd and my birthday is the 4th. Okay. So in the middle of the show, it'll turn into my birthday. Oh Speaker 6 (7:42) my God, to turn your birthday on SNL is really the way to maximize. I'm so excited. That's the best Speaker 5 (7:50) gift I've been given. Speaker 6 (7:51) Oh my gosh. I love SNL more than anything. Yes, I know. Remember when you hosted SNL, but then I was reading how much you love SNL. Did you grow up watching SNL? Is there like a beloved era that you think back to or skits Speaker 5 (8:05) in particular? I mean, I've watched since I was allowed to. Well, I was. I was allowed. I watched when my brothers were watching, which was like, you know, Chris Farley and Adam Sandler. And I there's but there's eras because I fell in love with it. So I'd go back and I've watched everything. So this will be your second time hosting Speaker 6 (8:25) or third? Third. So you're over halfway to the Speaker 1 (8:29) five Speaker 6 (8:29) -timer club. I'm on my way. That's very exciting. Fingers crossed. My mother's like one of the only five timers who is always available. And so they're always bringing her in. But they're very protective of those jackets. Yes. They cannot leave the studio. I know. It's Speaker 5 (8:47) really sad. Yeah. Speaker 6 (8:49) Wait, Speaker 5 (8:49) who is your mom? Speaker 6 (8:50) Candice Bergen. What the fuck? Speaker 6 (8:55) We talked about this because I have spent a funeral with your mother recently. Speaker 5 (9:01) And Speaker 6 (9:01) you guys had like the best time. Yeah, we had a really good time together. She was wearing like great black gloves. And yes. Wait, we did talk about this. Yeah. Speaker 5 (9:11) Okay, that all makes sense. But she is the most Speaker 6 (9:14) available five-timer. Yeah. I mean, I would be too if I were her. Yeah, she's like, I never have anything happening at 10 p Speaker 5 (9:22) .m. on a Saturday. Speaker 6 (9:22) Maybe she'll come on my show. Speaker 5 (9:24) Oh, my God. How cool. Speaker 6 (9:27) Yeah. And actually, my mother was reminding me that when I was little, because you're a bit younger than me, your dad lived on our street on Hazen off Coldwater. Speaker 5 (9:39) Oh, on like Heather Road. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah.