Monica Schipper/Getty Despite being related to Hollywood royalty,Dakota Johnsoninsists that she had a bumpy road towards success. TheMadame Webstar says her parents,Don JohnsonandMelanie Griffith, gave her a hard dose of reality early in her career by cutting her off financially after she revealed her desire to become an actress. "I graduated and only applied to Juilliard. And I didn't get in," Johnson told herMaterialistscostarPedro Pascalduring a conversation forElle U.K."That f---ing process was so awful and terrifying. When you get accepted for an audition, it's a two-day long chorus-line thing. You're supposed to get called back for a second audition, and I didn't." Johnson added that she wasn't too torn up about it because she "really didn't want to go to college" anyway, especially at such a small school. Mike Coppola/Getty Images "It just felt really wrong to lock myself in one place," she explained. There was just one problem: Her father had a rule about only offering financial support so long as she and her siblings stayed in school — and he didn't hesitate to enforce it. "I didn't get in and my dad cut me off because I didn't go to college," Johnson recalled. "So, I started auditioning. I think I was 19 when I didThe Social Network, and then little jobs and stuff after that." After snagging a brief role in the acclaimed 2010David Fincherfilm, Johnson appeared in such titles asBeastly, 21 Jump Street, The Five-Year Engagement,andDate and Switchbefore landing her breakout role in 2015'sFifty Shades of Grey. In the interim, the actress said that making ends meet became a challenge. "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," Johnson shared. "I'd have to ask my parents for help." She added, "I'm very grateful that I had parents that could help me and did help me. But it certainly was not fun. The auditioning process, as you know, is the f---ing worst." Her dad, Don, previously opened up abouthis decision to cut her off financiallyduring a 2021 visit toLate Night with Seth Meyers. "We have a rule in the family that if you stay in school, you get to stay on the payroll. You go to college, you get to stay on the payroll," theDoctor Odysseyactor told Meyers. "Towards the end of high school, I went to her and I said, 'So, do you want to go visit some colleges?' And she was like, 'Oh, no. I'm not going to college.'" Want more movie news? Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free newsletterto get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Don said he was firm with his daughter telling her, "'Okay, you know what that means? You won't be on the payroll anymore. How you gonna manage?' She says, 'Don't you worry about it.'" To her credit, he recalls her taking it in stride. "Three weeks later she had nailed down that part inDavid Fincher'sThe Social Network, and the rest is, shall we say, cinema history," Don concluded. Dakota will next be seen starring alongside Pascal andChris EvansinMaterialists, the upcoming romance fromPast LivesOscar nomineeCeline Song. The film hits theaters on June 13. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
