Highlights
- Dakota Johnson’s appearance on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show was saved by a bottle of tequila, as the interview struggled to find smooth conversation topics.
- Johnson revealed that she had to film two movies the next morning and jokingly expressed concern about her early call time in Canada.
- While promoting her indie film A Bigger Splash, Johnson’s performance was praised by critics, unlike her role in How to Be Single, which was seen as a miscast.
Dakota Johnson is known for her “iconic” awkward yet real demeanor on talk shows. So in 2016, when she appeared on Stephen Colbert‘s Late Show in New York City, the host came prepared with a bottle of tequila.
At that time, the Fifty Shades actress was set to film not just one, but two movies at 5:30 a.m. in Canada. She was also promoting a new film that didn’t do as well as her several box office hits but made her shine the most as an artist.
Tequila Saved Dakota Johnson And Stephen Colbert’s Awkward Interview
Colbert seemed to be struggling with topics when Johnson came on his show. Mincing on filler small talk and with his guest laugh-snorting at the awkward interview, the host brought out a bottle of tequila and two glasses. After taking their shots, Colbert asked: “By the way, what time did you go to bed last night?” The Lost Daughter star laughed at the not-so-smooth transition.
“Have you been to bed yet?” Colbert continued. “Because I went to bed at 3:30 last night.” Johnson said that she was already “fully in bed before that.” When asked if she’d skipped the Met Gala afterparties that night, she said: “I did. But I was so hungry and I guess everyone was hungry.”
She added that her lamb chop went missing during the event. “I don’t know what happened. You’re supposed to eat at the Met,” she recalled. “I went to pee […] and I came back and my lamb chop was gone.” The host said it “sounds like the opening of a very questionable country music song.”
He then shared his “Gatsby”-like encounter at the gala, which Johnson thought was “heaven.” “I went into the men’s room, and it was full of men in the men’s room. And there was a woman in there smoking in a ball gown,” Colbert said. “She said, ‘Hello Mr. Colbert, I hope you don’t mind if I smoke in here.’”
In the interview, Stephen Colbert said Tilda Swinton was “otherworldly,” but Dakota Johnson said she’s “maternal” and “full of information” in person.
Dakota Johnson Was Due To Film Fifty Shades After Drinking With Stephen Colbert
Colbert and Johnson had a second round of tequila shots. “I can say this with confidence: This is a terrible idea,” said the host, to which the guest replied, “This is out of control.” The How to be Single star added that she needed to film two movies in the morning. “I don’t want to seem like a wimp,” she said. “But I also have a 5:30 a.m. pickup tomorrow in Canada.”
The comedian then said, “You know you’re in New York right now, right? You’re not in Canada.” When asked what she was going to do in Vancouver, she said, “I’m filming two movies: Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.” When asked how she “unwind after 12 hours of simulated sadomasochism,” Johnson cleverly answered: “I fly to New York City and do shots of tequila with you.”
Colbert said she was “welcome anytime” and the “safe word is ‘pumpkin patch.’” The actress previously said that she “didn’t sign up” for what the Fifty Shades trilogy turned into. “I haven’t been able to talk about this truthfully ever, because you want to promote a movie the right way, and I’m proud of what we made ultimately and everything turns out the way it’s supposed to, but it was tricky,” she said of the adapted books’ “demanding” writer, E.L. James.
She said the author “just demanded certain things to happen” but that she wasn’t “psychotic.” Johnson noted that James is “a very nice woman, and she was always kind to me and I am grateful she wanted me to be in those movies.” However, she admitted that some of the inner dialogues were “cheesy” but that James insisted on including them.
Here’s how much the film series made at the box office, contributing to Johnson’s $14 million net worth:
|
Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) |
$569.7 million |
|
Fifty Shades Darker (2017) |
$381 million |
|
Fifty Shades Freed (2018) |
$372 million |
Johnson came on Colbert’s show mainly to promote her then-new indie film, A Bigger Splash by Luca Guadagnino who also directed Call Me by Your Name. Co-starring Tilda Swinton, Johnson was deemed “miscast” by critics. In July 2022, The Daily Beast released an article titled When Will Hollywood Stop Miscasting Dakota Johnson? where Laura Bradley cited A Bigger Splash as a great role for the actress.
It “allowed her to embrace the shifty qualities that can make her such a fascinating performer,” claimed Bradley. “She’s piercing and intense, insulting half the table at lunch one moment and making inappropriate passes at guests minutes later. Most importantly, Johnson’s portrayal is utterly naturalistic, an actual meeting between performer and character.”
The writer went on to compare it with How to Be Single where Johnson was miscast. “How to Be Single, like so many misguided projects to come, felt at every turn like it was working against her,” Bradley wrote, arguing that it “forced Johnson into strained earnestness.”
How to Be Single rates 46% on Rotten Tomatoes while A Bigger Splash has an 89% score.
Source: NewsFinale
