Dakota Johnson Won't Waste Time On Toxic Movie Sets

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07-07-2025

Back in May, actor Dakota Johnson opened up about her decision to venture into producing movies through her and her friend's production company, TeaTime Pictures.
Per Variety, Dakota said during a panel at Cannes Film Festival that she wanted 'more creativity and more collaboration' on the movies she stars in, following multiple instances of showing up to the premieres and being disappointed by the end product. 'I found myself as an actor, a few times, showing up to the premiere of a movie to see it the first time and saying: 'Woah. That is not what I thought we were making.' That is such a weird thing to do,' Dakota explained at the time.And another benefit of being involved in the production of a movie is having some level of control over the kind of people who are working on the set. 'The way that we build our sets is really vibe-based. Energy-based,' she said. 'It's very much a no asshole policy.'
And Dakota has doubled down on this mindset in a new interview with Variety, where she said that she is no longer interested in wasting time in a situation that isn't 'fun or fulfilling or healthy.'
The actor started by saying that she 'cares a lot about how people get along on a set and how people collaborate' as a producer, and went on to explain: 'If there's not a healthy collaboration, if it's not a good match, then it's not a good match. And we really don't move forward if it's not a good match.'
'I can't waste time on toxic sets anymore, or in situations that are not fun or fulfilling or healthy,' Dakota went on. 'That's one of the perks of [producing], because I get to put amazing people together and make something.'
When asked what she considers a toxic set to be, Dakota told Variety that she doesn't want to be surrounded by 'anybody who's mean or condescending or unkind.''I don't want to face people who are not willing to collaborate,' she went on. 'And then there are obvious things. We all know what a toxic set is by now. We're artists, so there's room for expansive personalities, and we're working with emotions.''I love a healthy argument on a set,' Dakota insisted. 'And I also believe that the most excellent idea wins. It's not a fight. It's not a race. It's a collaboration.'
And, as we all know, movie sets aren't the only place where Dakota holds some pretty strict boundaries in order to be her best self, with the star previously going viral for her comments about how she stays grounded and stress-free in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
Speaking to the publication, the actor said that she often sleeps for more than half a day at a time, and will drop everything to take a bath if she is feeling stressed out.Discussing her daily routine, Dakota began by saying that she doesn't have a 'regular' wake-up time, adding: 'It depends on what's happening in my life. If I'm not working, if I have a day off on a Monday, then I will sleep as long as I can. Sleep is my number one priority in life.'When asked how many hours of sleep she aims for, Dakota earnestly replied: 'I'm not functional if I get less than 10. I can easily go 14 hours.'And detailing some more of her self-care regimen, the star said: 'I will get in a bathtub at any moment, any time of the day. If in the middle of the day, I'm like, 'Oh God, what is this world?' I'll get in the bathtub. I find water really grounding.'After some level of backlash, Dakota ended up clarifying her sleep comments during an appearance on The Tonight Show, where she said: 'I said that I could easily sleep 14 hours… But I don't, like, demand it. I'm not a monster. I have a job!'
Well, how could anybody have the energy to combat toxicity on a movie set if they're not completely well-rested, I guess — let me know your thoughts on Dakota's latest comments below!