Dakota Johnson is ‘not surprised’ that ‘Madame Web’ was poorly received
"I probably will never do anything like it again because I don’t make sense in that world," the actress says of her Marvel debut
By Larisha Paul
There’s no harm in trying something out and realising that it isn’t a perfect fit. People do it all the time — making big moves, committing to an incompatible partner, wearing regrettable fashion trends. Dakota Johnson‘s one-and-done is Marvel’s Madame Web. “I probably will never do anything like it again,” the actress told Bustle in a new interview. “I don’t make sense in that world. And I know that now.”
Johnson seemed notably disinterested in Madame Web while promoting the film on its press run, revealing that her feelings toward it changed during the production process. “Sometimes in this industry, you sign on to something, and it’s one thing and then as you’re making it, it becomes a completely different thing, and you’re like, Wait, what?” she told the outlet. “But it was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand.”
Reviews of Madame Web noted that scenes depicted in trailers for the film were completely cut from the version that screened in theaters, and Johnson’s deadpan dialogue delivery paired with cheap visuals made it hard to defend. But the actress has an idea of who to point the finger at regarding the issue.
“It’s so hard to get movies made, and in these big movies that get made — and it’s even starting to happen with the little ones, which is what’s really freaking me out — decisions are being made by committees, and art does not do well when it’s made by committee,” Johnson said, making the case that an art form like film should in fact be treated like art instead of content.
She added: “Films are made by a filmmaker and a team of artists around them. You cannot make art based on numbers and algorithms. My feeling has been for a long time that audiences are extremely smart, and executives have started to believe that they’re not. Audiences will always be able to sniff out bullshit. Even if films start to be made with AI, humans aren’t going to fucking want to see those.”