It’s all from the female perspective.
Dakota Johnson became a household name thanks to Fifty Shades of Grey. As one of the most interesting actresses of today, she effortlessly alternates between dramas such as The Lost Daughter and blockbusters such as Madame Web (now in cinemas), about a different superhero. “I loved the stunt training.”
Refreshing
Madame Web is officially part of Marvel, but deviates from the typical genre. The film tells the standalone story of one of Marvel’s most enigmatic heroines, Cassandra Webb, a Manhattan paramedic who discovers she can see the future. She uses that insight to change the future. Think more psychological thriller than the usual superhero film and that is refreshing.
Spectacular mind
Dakota plays Cassandra Webb. “I never really saw myself playing a superhero, but Cassandra is a kind of everyday hero, an independent and complex woman. Rather than physical skills, it’s her mind that is spectacular. That is very interesting and it also gives the film a certain reality, which I like.”
The role required some preparation. “I trained a lot with a personal trainer,” she says. “And I loved the stunt training for driving.”
Female perspective
What does she find so special about the film? It’s all from the female perspective. “It’s so great to work with a bunch of women,” she explains. The film was directed by a woman, co-written by a woman and has many female cast members. “It just went very smoothly.”
That was partly thanks to Clarkson as director. “She was extremely knowledgeable about what this film was about and all the story elements we needed. That’s why I felt like I could really trust her, which was wonderful,” says Dakota. “She is also a very good filmmaker. She just knows what she wants and it’s impressive to watch her work. She was graceful and calm. A lot of people can still learn something from that.”
You can read the entire interview in the new Elegance that is now in stores.
Text: Jorrit Niels | Image: NL Image
