Dakota Johnson: Everything I Say Turns Sexual

Being the star of Fifty Shades Darker isn't easy

By Zach Johnson Feb 02, 2017 2:50 PMTags

If there's one thing Dakota Johnson has learned as she promotes Fifty Shades Darker, it's that context is key. Seth Meyers asked the actress about the "titillating" sequel on Late Night Wednesday and whether her role as Anastasia Steele has impacted her interactions with fans.

"I recently was in a Starbucks getting some coffee, as you do, and a kid came up. He was probably like 14 or 15, and he was like, 'Hey, can I get a picture with you?' I was like, 'Yeah, yeah. Of course,'" Johnson, 27, recalled. As they were taking a selfie together, the teen confessed, "I actually don't know who you are, but my mom is over there. She's freaking out."

Johnson looked over and saw his mom "face-down on a table" and unable to "make eye contact" because she was so star-struck. Johnson joked that she'd sent her son "into the fire!"

Lloyd Bishop/NBC

It only gets more uncomfortable during interviews. "It's a disaster," Johnson said. "It is truly, categorically impossible for me to get it right [even] when I'm not wildly taken out of context."

Asked to share an example of being involved in a clickbait headline, Johnson said, "The other day I had someone ask me what my favorite sex toy was, which is like...inappropriate. I was like, 'That's an inappropriate question.'…I can't answer in the right way. I said, 'I don't have one. Let's move on.' But then the headline was like: 'She Doesn't Have One Favorite Sex Toy.' I can't win! I either hate sex toys—so why am I doing this movie?—or I love them and I'm a sex fiend."

Meyers offered a suggestion: "Just say one that doesn't exist. Be like, 'The Scrambler.' And if they don't know what a scrambler is, say, 'You should find out—it's going to change your life!'"

The host then asked about the "sexy masks" Johnson and Jamie Dornan wear in Fifty Shades Darker (in theaters Feb. 10). "Do you find the masks alluring?" he wondered. Johnson looked at him wide-eyed and reminded him, "If I answer this question, they'll be like, 'She Loves Masks.'"

In response, Meyers predicted he'd come across this headline the next day: "Dakota Johnson Has a Favorite Mask—You Won't Believe What It Is!" Johnson wouldn't be surprised if she inspired more clickbait stories. At the same time, she wondered, "If I were playing a dental hygienist, would the questions be like, 'Do you love teeth? Do you love people's mouths?'"

(E!, NBC and Universal Pictures are all members of the NBCUniversal family.)