Dakota Johnson [1] is on the cusp of having yet another huge year. The sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey [2], Fifty Shades Darker [3], is already driving people wild a month ahead of its release date (Feb. 10, mark your calendars), meaning there's going to be Dakota mania upon us before you know it. In light of the world's obsession with her, she sat down with Vogue for its February issue [4], where the Hollywood It girl [5] was refreshingly candid about everything from those rumors of her hating costar Jamie Dornan [6] to why she thinks America is so "sexually oppressed."
On if she secretly despises the Fifty Shades franchise: "I'm truly proud of it. It's a cool story, and I think it's different, and different is what I'm all about."
On getting naked on screen: "Nudity is really interesting for an actor. Jamie and I worked so incredibly closely for so long. There were no inhibitions, and it was very honest, very trusting. But I mean, what a gamble! What if he had turned out to be a total dick? There's no makeup. There are no clothes to tell you a bit about the story. There's no jewelry to give you a clue about social status. So it becomes purely about the performance. Will I stop doing nude scenes when my boobs start sagging? I don't know. Maybe I have more of a European mind-set about these things. I don't want to see someone wearing a bra and underwear in a sex scene. Let's be honest about it. People are naked when they f*ck."
On rumors that she can't stand Jamie Dornan and is sleeping with him: "We hate each other and we're having an affair, so everybody's right. How about that?"
On starting therapy at age 3 due to her parents' busy lifestyles: "I was so consistently unmoored and discombobulated. I didn't have an anchor anywhere. I never learned how to learn the way you're supposed to as a kid. I thought, 'Why do I have to go to school on time?' Whats the point when you're living in Budapest for six months while your stepdad films Evita and you go to school in your hotel room? I was a disaster, and I thought for so long that there was something wrong with my brain. Now I realize that it just works in a different way."
On why she loves her Fifty Shades character, Ana, so much: "This woman is a badass. She's hyperintelligent and hypersexual and very tough and very loving, and her character has so many different aspects that don't normally make sense in one person. I tried to amplify them all."
On her newfound appreciation for BDSM: "First of all, there are some very chic avenues in BDSM. It can be very beautiful and tasteful, and the materials can be luxurious. It's not like being on Hollywood Boulevard and walking by a ball-gag store. But what I admire is the bravery and the honesty of people who get down with it, who aren't afraid to say that they need something a bit more in order to get off. America is still so sexually oppressed. Isn't God's gift to humans the orgasm?"