Dakota Johnson Recalls Losing Role Over Polite Handshakes

Dakota Johnson recounted a perplexing audition experience from early in her career during a recent interview on Hits Radio, where she revealed she lost a role after being perceived as overly confident for simply greeting the room with handshakes and introductions.

The 36-year-old actress described the incident, which occurred during a callback for an unspecified project, possibly a television series. "I had an audition once, and it was a callback, and I went into the room, and I shook everyone's hand and introduced myself," Johnson said. "Then I did the scene, and I left. 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. And 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."

Johnson, daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, has spoken openly about navigating Hollywood's challenges despite her family connections. She previously told MTV in 2024 about a similar account, noting feedback from a show's creator that labeled her "pretentious" for the same gesture. Early in her career,...