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Why Dakota Johnson Didn't Need to "Google 'F--ked Up Women'" for Her Lost Daughter Role

Dakota Johnson spoke to E! News about how she went into a "deeper, darker, more confused" place in preparing for her role in Maggie Gyllenhaal's new film, The Lost Daughter.

By Gabrielle Chung Dec 28, 2021 12:19 AMTags
Watch: "The Lost Daughter" Promises a Fresh Take on Motherhood

Dakota Johnson didn't need to do lot of research for her role in The Lost Daughter.

The 32-year-old actress, who plays a young mother named Nina in the Maggie Gyllenhaal-helmed film, recently spoke to E! News about her part in the psychological drama, joking that she "didn't Google ‘f—ked up women'" when getting into the dark character.

"Oh, it's in there already," she quipped in a joint interview with Gyllenhaal and her co-stars, Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley. Needless to say, the candid comment left the group roaring with laughter.

"I think there's so much in all of us and having the opportunity to just let some of it live—the space that Maggie created—I was able to go into the deeper, darker, more confused, more complex and intricate," Johnson explained of her process. "I think all of us are like that. It's rare when you have an opportunity to go there, to be real—rather than to be perfect, something that has to fit in a certain box."

However, that doesn't mean art is imitating life for Johnson. As Colman noted, "Don't underestimate the imagination of actors as well."

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Dakota Johnson's Best Looks

"It doesn't have to be that you can only be a good actor if you've had a f--ked up life," she explained. "That's bollocks. Sometimes, if the script is good enough, it's your road map."

YANNIS DRAKOULIDIS/NETFLIX

Based on Elena Ferrante novel of the same name, The Lost Daughter centers around a middle-aged woman (Colman) who is reminded of her past struggles raising two daughters after meeting a younger mom (Johnson) while vacationing in Greece.

For writer-director Gyllenhaal, the project was deeply personal, as she's a mother of two daughters—Ramona, 15, and Gloria, 9—herself. She explained, "A big piece of the movie is about motherhood, and I think motherhood has been represented all over the place as a kind of fantasy where if you slip out of this very narrow window, all of a sudden, you're having an abnormal experience."

"I think that terror, anxiety, pain, confusion, exhaustion as well as the sort of heart-wrenching ecstasy is all a part [of the experience]," the filmmaker continued. "My children have brought me to my knees, as I believe all children will do and they have in ways I can't even remember."

"Growing hurts, that's how it is. And so, I am indebted to my daughters for the fullness of my life," Gyllenhaal said, adding, "I never could have made this movie when they were little."

Netflix's The Lost Daughter is in theaters now and will be available on Netflix beginning Dec. 31.