Actress Dakota Johnson is not subtle about her feelings regarding the current climate of Hollywood, and in her most recent remarks, she is shedding light on some of the most problematic Hollywood tendencies: risk-aversion, remakes, and creative choices being made by people who, according to Johnson, “don’t even watch movies.”
This week, Johnson was a guest on the popular YouTube series Hot Ones, where she was promoting her new romantic comedy Materialists, and through the interview, powered by spicy wings, she dropped some pretty spicy truth bombs about the entertainment industry.
The title is, People Who Don t Know Movies Are Making Decisions.
When host Sean Evans posed the question to Johnson about why Hollywood appears to be so afraid to take creative risks as of late, her answer was as sharp as it was honest.
I believe it is difficult when creative choices are made by a committee and I believe it is difficult when creative choices are made by people who do not even really watch movies or know anything about them, she said. And that is what is happening a lot.
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To her, the top managers are the decision-makers who are detached not only to art but also to the audience. These remarks are part of an increasing mood in the business that the risk-taking and excitement that used to characterize films are being sacrificed to corporate risk-aversion and algorithm-guided decision-making.
The Remake Obsession: “Humans Do Not Desire That”
Johnson additionally spoke out against what appears to be a Hollywood addiction to remakes and reboots, something that has been lamented about over the years yet does not appear to be letting up.
She explained that, when something performs well, the studios would like to continue that trend hence remaking the same things. But that is not what humans desire. They are tired, they need something fresh, to touch something new, to experience something new, to see something new.”
She makes a good point: viewers are dying of originality. However, the latter is exactly the opposite of what they are receiving; a conveyor belt of sequels, spin-offs and safe bets. Whether it be superhero franchises or regurgitated rom-coms, Hollywood is betting big on familiarity and, per Johnson, it is failing.
A Personal Lesson By Madame Web
Johnson does not only have theoretical frustration. She experienced it with “Madame Web,” the 2024 superhero movie in which she starred in the Sony Spider-Man universe. The film was a critical and commercial flop, making just $43 million at the domestic box office and scoring a dismal 11 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Looking back at the experience, Johnson was honest about how the film transformed out of the initial vision into one that she did not recognize.
“I believe with ‘Madame Web,’ it began as one thing and then became another thing regrettably,” she explained to the Los Angeles Times. And I was sort of a passenger by that time. Well, that occurs. The larger budget films flop continuously.”
According to the actress, she tried her level best to embrace the role but ended up disappointed.
“It was not my fault,” she stated, pointing at the meddling of the studio. It has to do with this phenomenon now where so many creative decisions are committee decisions. Or thrown together by individuals who lack a creative bone in their body.
The Algorithm Problem in Hollywood.
It is not the first time that Johnson is raising alarm over the creative direction of the industry. Talking to Bustle last year, she said:
It is impossible to create art by numbers and algorithms. I have long believed that audiences are enormously intelligent and executives have begun to think that they are not. The audiences will always be capable of sniffing bullshit.”
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Her comments cut to the core of an expanding gap: the conflict between authentic storytelling and statistics-driven moviemaking where test screenings and spreadsheets too frequently take precedence over scripts or actors.
Johnson belongs to a new generation of actors and filmmakers that are using their platforms to poke at the establishment – joining the ranks of Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Greta Gerwig, all of whom have expressed doubts about the soullessness of contemporary studio filmmaking.
Peer Support- and Sandra Bullock Support.
Johnson has been supported by industry veterans despite the fallout of Madame Web. She shared that Sandra Bullock, a long-admired actress, and producer contacted her after Johnson won a Razzie Award Worst Actress in the role.
Johnson recalled in the Hot Ones interview, “She left me a voice note.” I panicked. She was so nice, and she reminded me that bad reviews do not make you become what you are as an artist.”
It is clear that Bullock has meant a lot by her words, particularly in a difficult moment. Yet they also point to a bigger truth: that within an industry that is increasingly dominated by spreadsheets and risk-aversion, artists failure is invariably seen as the fault of the performers, rather than the faulty systems at play behind the scenes.
Viewers Are Pining After Originality- And They Have Realised It
The words of Johnson could not be more topical. With the drop in ticket sales to formulaic blockbusters and the demand of more personal, relatable narratives (everything everywhere all at once, barbie, or the holdovers), the message is clear as day: viewers are demanding something real.
But studios still keep betting on what happened five years ago, rather than posing a question what could happen given the opportunity.
Johnson is not merely asking the studios to act, but the entire Hollywood. Revive the creativity. Believe in the artists. And most importantly, do not underestimate the intelligence of the viewers.
The Bottom Line
When Dakota Johnson said, “It is all just a bit of a mess, right now, isn’t it?” she was being no exaggeration.
Whether it be executive meddling, the never ending remake, or simply a film made more out of profit motives than out of a love of cinema the magic that made Hollywood Hollywood is dimming.
But when more artists continue to speak out- and audiences continue to demand better, then there is still a chance that the industry will be able to find its way back.
