When she isn’t bossing the red carpet in one head-turning Gucci piece after another, Dakota Johnson seems to be making relatively contentious comments about some of her former co-stars. In an interview published by The Hollywood Reporter on November 3rd, the 32-year-old actress had some very controversial things to say about cancel culture, notably how it’s a “downer” that in her opinion, unfairly ruined the reputations of actors such as Johnny Depp, Shia LaBeouf, and Armie Hammer, to name just three.
The Fifty Shade of Grey star’s comments didn’t just come out of thin air – they came after she was asked by the publication about her history with working with the aforementioned controversial actors. Johnson worked with Depp, 58, on the 2015 thriller Black Mass, just three years before his now ex-wife Amber Heard accused him of physical and emotional abuse; and in 2019, she starred in the comedy-drama The Peanut Butter Falcon with LaBeouf, 35, who was accused of abuse by his 33-year-old ex, FKA Twigs. That same year, she also worked with Hammer, 35, who has been at the center of several rape and cannibalism allegations, on the psychological horror film, Wounds. Johnson had nothing but kind words to say about all three of her former co-stars, telling THR that she feels “sad” that the world has lost these “great artists” because of cancel culture.
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"I never experienced that firsthand from any of those people," the How To Be Single actress began. "I had an incredible time working with them; I feel sad for the loss of great artists. I feel sad for people needing help and perhaps not getting it in time. I feel sad for anyone who was harmed or hurt. It’s just really sad." Johnson then went on to say that she believes that people can change, and she really doesn’t approve of the term 'cancel culture' because of that very reason. "I do believe that people can change. I want to believe in the power of a human being to change and evolve and get help and help other people," she added. "I think there’s definitely a major overcorrection happening. But I do believe that there’s a way for the pendulum to find the middle. Cancel culture is such a *expletive* downer. I hate that term."
Interestingly, a lot of people took Dakota's side re cancel culture. "People are too quick to bully others for anything they disagree with. It’s childish and stupid. I agree with her," a fan commented on Page Six's social media coverage of Dakota's comments. Someone else added: "Agree!!!! we're humans! we make mistakes, we learn from them, and we improve!" "Yes yes yes. She’s so right," agreed another, while another IG user concurred, adding that, "Life is about learning from mistakes and evolving. I wouldn’t want to be the one to cast the first stone…"
However, in the spirit of covering all angles, a few others disagreed, insisting that associating with someone who has been accused of any form of abuse is "mental." "Can we use this in context? She associates with Armie Hammer who is being accused of rape. She’s mental," wrote a concerned user, while another curious IG user raised quite an interesting question, writing: "because she knew them personally and didn’t see the behavior. Curious if they had just been random strangers or regular old non celebs would she say that."
