Dakota Johnson on Being Fueled by Caffeine While Making 'Loser Baby' | Variety Studio at TIFF 2024 - video Dailymotion

Variety

Dakota Johnson discusses directing her short 'Loser Baby' with writer/actor Talia Bernstein at the Variety Studio at TIFF. She also gives insight into how she approaches press tours.

Transcript

00:00When you read Celsius on the back, it's just like B12 and vitamin A and vitamin...

00:05I thought it was just vitamins.

00:06I didn't realize that I was basically just overdosing on caffeine.

00:10Yeah.

00:19I'm a child, okay? I'm a sexual child.

00:22Happy birthday to you.

00:28So, Dakota, you, of course, have a prolific career as an actress,

00:32but how did you know you were ready to direct and why did you choose this as your first film?

00:40I felt... Honestly, I remember Ro...

00:45We read... This was like... Talia wrote the script.

00:49We read it. It was just like a piece of her writing, like a sample of her writing.

00:52And Ro and I were like, we have to make this.

00:55And Ro... It wasn't immediate that I was going to direct it,

00:59but then I got actually quite jealous of somebody else directing it

01:02because all my friends were going to be in it.

01:04So it was mostly just me feeling left out and possessive.

01:12And that's what made me decide to do it.

01:15How did you two meet?

01:17On Tinder.

01:19I was going to make that joke. Yeah, Tinder.

01:23We met... We met through Blake, like, years and years ago at Chase's, I feel like.

01:29Our mutual best friend, Blake, who is in the short.

01:34And Talia, what inspired this story and what was your writing process in crafting it?

01:40I think I just really wanted to write a really honest depiction of queer relationships,

01:47or specifically lesbian relationships.

01:49Or I'm sorry, a lesbian couple at the helm

01:52and then, like, my best friend is in a gay relationship

01:55and our other friend, Val, is in an open marriage.

01:59And I just sort of wanted to, like, give an honest depiction of, like,

02:03gay and queer relationships and what they can look like.

02:06And what interests both of you about different relationship dynamics

02:11that are explored in the movie?

02:14I think it's just interesting.

02:17It's an interesting time now in society where people's sexualities

02:23and relationship dynamics are so embraced, or in some parts of the world, embraced.

02:31And I think people feeling able to be themselves

02:38and live their lives as they really want to

02:42and love the way they want to and love who they want to

02:44feels so, like, inspiring and wonderful.

02:50And I think it's also something that we don't really see in mainstream media.

02:55So not like this is going to be seen in mainstream media.

02:59I mean, maybe. Who knows?

03:01Somebody wants to put it on the internet or on the streaming platforms.

03:07But I think it's important to see different kinds of relationship dynamics and sexualities

03:13and know that it's all okay.

03:15And at any point in someone's life, every single person is still trying to figure it out.

03:22Why did you feel like this worked as a short film?

03:25And is there any hope to expand it into a longer feature?

03:30I mean, it worked as a short just because the way Talia wrote it, it was so succinct.

03:35And, you know, obviously we left it open for it to expand in some way, in some medium.

03:45I'm not sure. I feel like it could be a feature.

03:48It could be a show. I would love to watch them.

03:53I mean, they are my best friends.

03:55So I do watch them be idiots all the time, but I'd love to watch them be idiots on television.

04:00Yeah, I feel like I would love to see it as a show.

04:03Keep doing it. It was so fun to make.

04:06Yeah, but I don't know. Who knows?

04:09Yeah.

04:10Loser Baby is such a compelling title.

04:12How did you come up with the name?

04:16We've had so many titles that are probably equally as compelling.

04:21Actually, maybe not. Loser Baby is the most compelling.

04:24Yeah.

04:25But we've had some good titles.

04:26And this one came just because Blake one day, like on a group text, called Talia a loser baby.

04:34In earnest.

04:35And we were like, hold on.

04:37Yeah, I was being a little loser baby.

04:38And we were like, hold on the diss.

04:41I think that's a great title.

04:42Yeah.

04:43Were there any titles that you didn't go with that you kind of still love?

04:49Yeah, but we're not going to give them up because someone else will take them.

04:52They're too good.

04:53Fair enough.

04:55Dakota, is there a director that you've worked with who you feel like most influenced you behind the camera?

05:03I've worked with such an array of directors that I think I've learned things from all of them that I love

05:13and learned things that I don't love or that didn't feel great.

05:18So I think I mostly just wanted Talia to feel great and I wanted to make the most excellent version of each moment.

05:29But the method of getting there, I think it's more intuitive and more, I think,

05:39probably just being on sets so much, learning what feels good.

05:45Do you feel like directing came naturally to you?

05:48Yeah, I've decided.

05:51Telling Talia what to do came really naturally to me.

05:53A little too naturally, yeah.

05:56Shut up.

05:59And were there any aspects of directing that you feel like you realized were maybe more important

06:05or something that you didn't realize went into directing when you were behind the camera?

06:12I think it's such a singular process for each person who is behind the camera.

06:19I don't know.

06:20I don't think that there's, you know, obviously there's not one right way to make a movie.

06:27But I don't know.

06:32I just, I loved it so much.

06:35I really had the best time.

06:37I also like discovered Celsius on day one of filming the short.

06:42And I didn't know that it was like Red Bull.

06:44I thought it was like a natural drink.

06:47And I was like, I'm so inspired.

06:51I'm awake all night long.

06:53I'm not sleeping because I'm just thinking, and it's because I was having like two Celsius a day.

06:57I thought it was vitamins because when you read Celsius on the back,

07:02it's just like B12 and vitamin A and vitamin.

07:05I thought it was just vitamins.

07:06I didn't realize that I was basically just overdosing on caffeine.

07:09Yeah, we're like, we're not sleeping because of the adrenaline.

07:12And it was like, I was like, I'm so creative.

07:14Milligrams of caffeine coursing through our bodies.

07:17Yeah.

07:17How did you figure out that it was caffeinated?

07:20Katie Costumes, Katie Workinger, who is my set costumer.

07:24She was the costume designer on this short for us.

07:29She was like, you're not well.

07:32That's basically, you're basically having like four Red Bulls a day.

07:36Was that upsetting to find out?

07:38It was really upsetting.

07:39Yeah, it was.

07:40But now I know that in dire straits, there's Celsius.

07:45And I'm looking for an endorsement.

07:47Yeah.

07:47So Celsius, I'm your girl.

07:51Night shoots, they work really well.

07:54There you go.

07:55Talia, what's it like to be directed by a filmmaker who also is an actor?

08:00Is the process different?

08:01Because you do know what it's like to be on the other side of the camera?

08:05Yeah, from all your acting.

08:06From all my acting experiences.

08:10Yeah, because this was my first thing I've ever acted in.

08:14And I think I was like, it was the best process.

08:19Dakota was so kind to me, which is a shock.

08:23A real bitch.

08:25And I also feel like I felt like I was in such good hands for a million reasons.

08:29Obviously, but given your experiences, I feel like you were like,

08:34here are all the things I know.

08:35And then I'm going to do what I know to be good.

08:38And you were excellent.

08:39Thank you so much.

08:42I love you.

08:43Love you.

08:45Oh.

08:50Dakota, you've kind of become the master of executing a press tour.

08:54I was wondering, is there anything that you do to prepare when you know you have

08:57a lot of press obligations coming up?

08:59Celsius.

09:00Yeah.

09:01Well, we're on a press tour today.

09:03Today, we're on a press tour.

09:05No, I don't.

09:06I have no answers.

09:07I end up in situations.

09:09And they happen to me.

09:14Just ride with it?

09:14I'm the victim.

09:19No, I don't know.

09:21I feel so lucky to be able to do press tours, and travel around,

09:26and go to all these amazing places, and meet amazing people.

09:29So I'm just having a nice time, you know?

09:33Did you get any advice on how to endure the day?

09:39Sort of like, don't fuck it up situation?

09:41No, it was like, the advice was, be yourself.

09:45Yeah.

09:47Be yourself, girlie.

Dakota Johnson on Being Fueled by Caffeine While Making 'Loser Baby' | Variety Studio at TIFF 2024

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