Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global CitizenDakota Johnson is keeping her promise.
Nearly a year ago, the Peanut Butter Falcon actress encouraged women and girls facing violence and sexual harassment to share their stories with her by picking up the phone. "I don't want to speak for you. I want to listen to you," she wrote in an Instagram post in October 2018. "This is my phone number. Tell me your story in my voicemail, and I will listen."
The star continued, "There is power in numbers. Together with @glblctzn I will compile your stories and get your voices heard. We must achieve a world where #sheisequal."
On Sunday, Johnson revealed her plan for highlighting those voices: a new podcast, The Left Ear, that is available now and will air every Monday beginning on Oct. 7.
"One year ago I asked women and girls around the world to call me and leave a voicemail telling their stories of sexual violence, harassment, and gender based inequalities. I didn't want to speak on their behalf, I wanted to listen to them," she recalled in a new Instagram post explaining her new venture, which she also discussed and previewed at the Global Citizen Festival over the weekend.
Johnson explained the podcast will include the voicemails women had left her. "To protect anonymity the voices have been slightly pitched, and any identifiers have been removed," she noted. "Other than that, they have not been edited. These are real stories from real people around the world."
The star cautioned, "Listening to these stories can feel very intense. So please take care of yourself if choose to listen. And I hope you do choose to listen, because listening is the most important thing you can do for someone." She added, "In this podcast, I want to create a space where the listener is listening just as honestly and bravely as the speakers who had the courage to call."
As for the title of the podcast, the actress wrote the left is "the ear closest to your heart. And by listening with your heart, you can save someone even just a little bit."