Dakota Johnson credits mom Melanie Griffith for her body confidence

Dakota Johnson says her mother Melanie Griffith is the reason she feels confident and comfortable using her body in her work, including her most sexually charged roles. 

Speaking ahead of her new thriller Verity, out October 2, Johnson, 36, explained that Griffith, 69, raised her to embrace her sexuality openly.

"My mom raised me to be really, really proud of my body and love my body," Johnson told the press, per The Sun. "So I've always felt so grateful for that, especially in my work, because I can use it and it feels real." 

She also credited her mother's honesty growing up: "It was the way she spoke about it with me and she was very honest and open about body stuff... She also talked to me about sex and how precious and important" it is.

That openness shaped Johnson's approach to roles like Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy, which required extensive nudity and simulated sex scenes and launched her to global fame. 

She previously told Vanity Fair the experience was "scary" but said she doesn't regret it, admitting, "If I had known at the time that's what it was going to be like, I don't think anyone would've done it."

Johnson's openness extends to relationships too. Discussing non-monogamy while promoting Splitsville, she said, "I don't feel like there's one right way to love or one right way to live your life," adding that relationships—whether monogamous, multiple, or a mix—can all be valid. "Why not, really?"

Johnson's own love life remains in the spotlight after her 2025 split from Coldplay's Chris Martin; she's since been linked to musician Role Model (Tucker Pillsbury).