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Dakota Johnson comes from one of the most important in entertainment. The actress is the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, two of the greatest actors of their time. Griffith is also the daughter of Tippi Hedren, one of Alfred Hitchcock’s muses and an icon of the era.
In a profile with Vanity Fair, Johnson discussed her career and her family, sharing some scary experiences that her mother lived through following Hitchcock’s obsession with Hedren.
Hedren worked with Hitchcock in two separate films, suggesting that the two were collaborators. In her memoir Hedren claimed this wasn’t true, sharing her experiences and claiming that Hitchcock terrorized her and sexually assaulted her. She says he ruined her career by preventing other directors in Hollywood from hiring her.
Johnson shared that, when her mother was a little girl, Hitchcock sent her a small coffin wrapped up as a present. Inside, there was a Tippi Hedren doll. “It’s alarming and dark and really, really sad for that little girl,” Johnson said. “Really scary.”
“What happened with my grandmother was horrific because Hitchcock was a tyrant. He was talented and prolific — and important in terms of art — but power can poison people,” Johnson said.
Johnson also shared her experience of attending a screening of “The Girl” with her grandmother. The film is about the making of hte film “The Birds,” and shows the relationship between Hedren and Hitchcok. They were shocked at having to view these experiences onscreen without receiving a warning beforehand.
“We’re in a room with some execs. Maybe this warranted a little conversation beforehand? You look over and you see a woman who’s just been reminded of everything she went through, and it was heartbreaking. She was an amazing actress and he stopped her from having a career,” Johnson said.