Dakota Johnson Slams Hollywood’s Ageism, Calls Industry ‘Absurd And Cut-Throat’

While Dakota Johnson‘s career might be on the rise, she’s more than aware that Hollywood isn’t too kind to actresses once they hit a certain age.

Dakota Johnson On Hollywood Ageism

Johnson took home the Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress trophy for her performance in Fifty Shades of Grey at the People’s Choice Awards Wednesday night. She’s also nominated for the Rising Star BAFTA. She recently completed female-driven comedy How to Be Single with Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann and she’ll soon start work on thriller Suspiria with Tilda Swinton. Johnson also has two Fifty Shades sequels in the pipeline.

At 26, Johnson is in her prime in Hollywood and roles will likely be rolling in for years to come for the actress. Despite the promise of continued success, Johnson knows first hand that success in Hollywood often comes with an expiration date for the females in the business.

“Why isn’t my mother in the movies? She’s an extraordinary actress,” asked Johnson, speaking of Working Girl star Melanie Griffith in an interview with British Vogue. “Why isn’t my grandmother in the movies?” she added, referring to The Birds leading lady Tippi Hedren.

Johnson said, “This industry is f–king brutal. No matter how tough you are, sometimes there’s the feeling of not being wanted. It’s absurd and cut-throat. Whenever I have downtime, I’m unsure that I will ever work again. I don’t know what it is, but it’s a definite thing that happens to me.”

Johnson also got candid about how she feels about starring in Fifty Shades of Grey, the adaptation of E.L. James‘ much-read and much derided erotic novel. Instead of seeing it as a potential roadblock for future opportunities, she sees it as something of a stepping stone.

“I’m proud of Fifty Shades of Grey. I don’t need to distance myself from that. The more work I do, the more the general public sees the different things I can do,” she explained. “Do I think it opened doors? Yeah. More people know my name.”