Dakota Johnson may be a Hollywood legacy, but her rise to stardom didn’t come with a silver spoon.
In a refreshingly candid conversation with her Materialists co-star Pedro Pascal for Elle U.K., the 35-year-old actress revealed she was financially cut off by her father, Miami Vice star Don Johnson, after she didn’t get into college.
"I didn't get in and my dad cut me off because I didn't go to college," Dakota shared. "So, I started auditioning. I think I was 19 when I did The Social Network, and then little jobs and stuff after that."
© GC ImagesThat decision to forgo college—and the family’s financial support—set the stage for Dakota’s solo grind in Hollywood. After a brief childhood cameo in 1999's Crazy in Alabama, alongside her mom Melanie Griffith and then-stepdad Antonio Banderas, she officially broke into acting with a small role in The Social Network. A few years later, she skyrocketed to fame in the Fifty Shades trilogy, but it wasn’t a smooth ride getting there.
"For a couple of years it was hard to make money," Dakota recalled. "There were a few times when I’d go to the market and not have money in my bank account or not be able to pay rent, and I’d have to ask my parents for help."
While she’s grateful her parents were there when she really needed them, she didn’t sugarcoat the struggle.
"I'm very grateful that I had parents that could help me and did help me. But it certainly was not fun. The auditioning process, as you know, is the f***ing worst," she told Pascal.
© ZUMA Press, Inc.This isn’t the first time Dakota has spoken about being cut off. In a February 2024 interview on Today, she explained the conditions her dad set for staying on the family payroll.
"He said, 'If you go to college, you still get an allowance,'" Dakota recalled. "And I was like, 'Well, I'm going to be an actress.' So he was like, 'Alright, well you're on your own. I was cut off." To make ends meet, Dakota turned to modeling in between auditions, even as she struggled to afford basic necessities.
Don Johnson himself has spoken openly about the tough-love approach he took with his daughter. In a 2021 appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Nash Bridges star explained the family's rule: "We have a rule in the family that if you stay in school, you get to stay on the payroll."
He recalled asking Dakota if she wanted to look at colleges as she neared the end of high school."And she went, 'Oh, no, I'm not going to college,'" he said. "And I went, 'OK. Well, you know what that means. I mean, you won't be on the payroll anymore, and how are you gonna manage?' And she says, 'Don't you worry about it.'"
Obviously, Dakota did a pretty good job at figuring it out.
