Dakota Johnson reveals 'crazy' reason she once lost out on a role

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYTue, March 31, 2026 at 3:33 PM UTC

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Is it possible to be too nice when going up for a job? Apparently so, as Dakota Johnson once found out the hard way.

In a recent conversation with Hits Radio, the "Fifty Shades of Grey" star, 36, revealed the odd reason she once lost out on a role: She shook everyone's hands during the audition, and it didn't go over well.

As Johnson told it, when she went into the room for her audition, she "shook everyone's hand and introduced myself" before doing her scene.

"The feedback I got was that, because I had gone and introduced myself and shook everyone's hand, that I was pompous, that I was schmoozing and I was full of myself," she said. "I was like, 'What?' I didn't get the job because they said that I was being cocky, but I just had manners. It was pretty crazy."

Dakota Johnson attends the Red Sea International Film Festival on Dec. 5, 2025, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Johnson didn't reveal what part she was trying out for, though she previously shared the story in an interview with MTV in 2024, when asked about her most traumatic audition. In that earlier conversation, the "Materialists" star said it was the "creator of a show" who gave her the feedback that she was "pretentious because I shook everyone's hand in the room" and "wasted their time."

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Johnson, whose parents are actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, is best known for her breakout role of Anastasia Steele in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" film trilogy. She's coming off performances in the 2025 comedy "Splitsville" and romance "Materialists," and she's next set to star in "Verity," an adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel hitting theaters in October. Johnson's other noteworthy films include "Madame Web," "Suspiria," "The Lost Daughter" and "Cha Cha Real Smooth."

Most of the star's acting roles have been in movies, though her TV credits include the short-lived sitcom "Ben and Kate" and a one-episode role on "The Office."

Speaking to Elle in 2025, Johnson described the auditioning process as the "worst," and she noted she failed to get into the performing arts school Juilliard after not getting called back for a second audition.

Dakota Johnson attends the Kering Foundation's Caring for Women dinner at The Pool on Sept. 11, 2025, in New York City.

"I didn't get in and my dad cut me off because I didn’t go to college. So, I started auditioning," she told Elle, adding, "For a couple of years it was hard to make money. There were a few times when I'd go to the market and not have money in my bank account or not be able to pay rent, and I'd have to ask my parents for help – I'm very grateful that I had parents that could help me and did help me. But it certainly was not fun."

Johnson previously told Backstage in 2021 she has had "a lot of really bad auditions" in her career. "I have pretty bad anxiety sometimes so it's usually my problem if the audition goes badly," she said, noting she has "left a lot of them not feeling very good about myself."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dakota Johnson lost role for shaking hands in audition, she says

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