Dakota Johnson Opens Up About Financial Struggles During Early Acting Career

Dakota Johnson, often labeled a “nepo baby” thanks to her A-list parents Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, is setting the record straight on what her early years in Hollywood were really like. In a candid new interview with Elle, the actress admitted that despite her privileged background, making ends meet was a real struggle when she first began pursuing an acting career.

Now 35, Johnson recalled how difficult it was to support herself financially in her early 20s. “For a couple of years it was hard to make money,” she shared. “I’d have to ask my parents for help.” At times, she didn’t even have enough to cover rent or buy groceries.

Though grateful for her parents’ help, Dakota made it clear that her journey wasn’t without hardship. “The auditioning process, as you know, is the f–king worst,” she said bluntly. Her parents’ support was not always guaranteed either. When she was rejected from Juilliard — the only college she applied to — her father cut her off financially. “I didn’t get in and my dad cut me off because I didn’t go to college,” she revealed. That prompted her to dive headfirst into auditions. At 19, she landed a minor role in The Social Network, which led to other small parts in films like 21 Jump Street and the sitcom Ben and Kate.

Johnson had her first on-screen role at just 10 years old in Crazy in Alabama, a film directed by her stepfather Antonio Banderas and starring her mother. But it wasn’t until 2013, when she was cast as Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, that her career took off. The trilogy’s massive success catapulted her into stardom — and financial independence.

Now living comfortably in a serene Malibu mansion, Johnson reflects on her nomadic lifestyle and evolving sense of home. “In my deepest truth, I feel I don’t live anywhere. I nest kind of wherever I am,” she said. Despite the early challenges, Dakota Johnson’s resilience — and a little help from her family — paved the way for her thriving Hollywood career.

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