Dakota Johnson isn’t holding back when it comes to her thoughts on where the Hollywood film industry stands right now.
While appearing on the YouTube interview series Hot Ones (watch her complete episode below) to promote her new A24 romantic comedy Materialists, Johnson was asked by host Sean Evans for her take on why the film biz has become so risk-averse. And for Johnson, much of the problem lies in who’s calling the shots.
“I think it’s hard when creative decisions are made by committee and it’s hard when creative decisions are made by people who don’t even really watch movies or know anything about them,” Johnson said. “And that tends to be what’s occurring a lot.”
She pointed to the industry’s habit of clinging to proven formulas rather than taking creative risks. “When something does well, studios want to keep that going so they remake the same things,” she continued. “But humans don’t want that. They want fresh, they want to feel new things, experience new things, see new things. So I don’t know, I guess it’s all just a bit of a mess right now, isn’t it?”
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Johnson’s comments tap into a debate that’s been following Hollywood for years: the dominance of IP-driven projects, sequels, reboots, and spin-offs, as studios continue to lean on franchises and brand recognition.
Johnson has had her own well-publicised experience with the system. Earlier this year, she reflected on the challenges of making Madame Web, describing the creative struggles behind the scenes. “It wasn’t my fault,” Johnson said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “A lot of creative decisions are made by committee or made by people who don’t have a creative bone in their body. It’s really hard to make art that way. Or to make something entertaining that way.”
Johnson’s comments serve as an important reminder for studio heads and decision-makers: while piling money onto existing franchises may feel like the safer bet, there’s still a very real audience out there hungry for original stories. Ryan Coogler’s recent Sinners, for example, has taken an impressive $US359 million so far from a budget of $US90 million. Taking risks doesn’t have to mean betting the house on a single project — a healthier mix of mid and smaller-budget original films could inject more fresh ideas, new voices, and much-needed variety into the market.
