Dakota Johnson on Being Cut Off by Her Dad and Forging Her Own Path in Hollywood
Dakota Johnson was determined to carve out her own acting career—even if it meant doing it the hard way.
After failing to get into the prestigious Juilliard School, the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith found herself financially cut off by her father, pushing her to make her own way in Hollywood.
“I didn’t get in, and my dad cut me off because I didn’t go to college,” the 35-year-old actress revealed in a candid conversation with Materialists co-star Pedro Pascal for Elle U.K. (published May 14). “So, I started auditioning. I think I was 19 when I did The Social Network, and then little jobs and stuff after that.”
Though Johnson made her onscreen debut as a child in 1999’s Crazy in Alabama (alongside her mother and then-stepfather Antonio Banderas), her early adult years were far from glamorous. After her father withdrew financial support, she faced significant struggles.
“For a couple of years, it was hard to make money,” she admitted. “There were times when I’d go to the market and not have money in my bank account or couldn’t pay rent. I’d have to ask my parents for help.”
Despite the challenges, Johnson remains grateful for their support. “I’m very lucky that they could and did help me,” she said. “But it certainly wasn’t fun. The auditioning process, as you know, is the f–king worst.”
In a February 2024 interview with Today, she recalled her father’s ultimatum: “If you go to college, you still get an allowance.” But Johnson was resolute. “Well, I’m going to be an actress,” she told him. His response? “Alright, well, you’re on your own.”
To make ends meet, she turned to modeling while chasing acting gigs. “There were moments when I couldn’t afford groceries and had to ask my mom for help,” she shared. “She was the nice one.”
Johnson’s perseverance paid off, leading to breakout roles in the Fifty Shades trilogy and establishing her as a leading actress in Hollywood—all on her own terms.
Don himself has also previously shared insight into the college ultimatum. “We have a rule in the family,” the Nash Bridges alum said on Late Night With Seth Meyers in 2021, “that if you stay in school, you get to stay on the payroll.”
He said that toward the end of Dakota’s high school career, he asked his daughter if she wanted to visit some colleges. “And she went, ‘Oh, no, I’m not going to college,'” he said. “And I went, ‘OK. Well, you know what that means. I mean, you won’t be on the payroll anymore, and how are you gonna manage?’ And she says, ‘Don’t you worry about it.'”
Feeling fifty shades of confused about Dakota’s family ties? Look back at her family tree.
Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson
Melanie Griffith was 14 when she first laid eyes on Don Johnson, who’s eight years older, when he was starring in 1973’s The Harrad Experiment with her mother, screen legend Tippi Hedren.
“She fell almost instantly in love with him,” Tippi told People in 1989. “It was an adolescent crush.”
It was also another time. Melanie moved in with Don when she was 15, they got engaged when she was 18 and eloped to Las Vegas to tie the knot January 8, 1976—despite Don having admittedly been keeping company with a beauty queen the night before the wedding.
“We thought it might work better if we were married. It didn’t,” Melanie told People. “I got married in order to end the relationship.” They had the union annulled.
