During a Sundance Film Festival tribute event for director Luca Guadagnino on Thursday, actress Dakota Johnson made a bold statement.
At an event celebrating Guadagnino’s work in the acclaimed film Call Me By Your Name, several actors and industry experts shared their thoughts on the director’s work.
“It was here at Sundance in 2017 that audiences experienced a film that is uniquely characterized by Luca’s iconic approach to storytelling, the vision, and the style that is Call Me by Your Name,” Johnson stated while paying tribute to the director as he accepted the festival’s International Icon Award at the Taste of Sundance event.
“Sadly, I wasn’t in that one. It was unfortunate. Luca had asked me to play the role of the peach, but our schedules conflicted. Thank God, though, because then I would’ve been another woman that Armie Hammer tried to eat.”
Audience reactions to Johnson’s jokes were mixed, as seen in the video published by Variety. Some laugh nervously, some applaud, some groan.
Given the recent accusations against Hammer, the contentious scene from “Call Me by Your Name” in question, in which Hammer’s character uses a peach to masturbate while thinking about his father’s live-in assistant, has acquired new significance.
Johnson, who has previously worked with Guadagnino on the films Bigger Splash and Suspiria, continued his speech, apparently moving on to discussing the director’s upcoming film, Bones and All.
The film, which is described as a cannibal love story, is set to be released in 2022.
“It’s been five years since that film premiered here, and Luca hasn’t stopped taking us to exciting places,” she stated. “Who knew that cannibalism was so popular?”
A Controversial Issue
At an event celebrating Guadagnino’s work on the acclaimed film Call Me By Your Name, several actors and industry experts shared their thoughts on the director’s work.
However, the event was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding one of the film’s lead actors, Armie Hammer.
Hammer, who gained critical and audience favor with films such as “The Social Network,” “The Lone Ranger,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E,” and “Call Me by Your Name,” saw his Hollywood career come to a halt after he was accused of engaging in disturbing sexual discussions with women who said they’d been in relationships with him.
Hammer denied the allegations, and his attorney, Andrew Brettler, called them “bulls—” at the time.
The situation took a turn for the worse in March 2021, when a woman identified only as Effie accused Hammer of rape and other physical abuse.
Hammer repulsed the allegations, and his attorney, Andrew Brettler, told EW at the time Effie’s “own correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations. As recently as July 18, 2020, [she] sent graphic texts to Mr. Hammer telling him what she wanted him to do to her.
“Mr. Hammer responded making it clear that he did not want to maintain that type of relationship with her.”
The Sundance Film Festival tribute event for “Call Me by Your Name” director Luca Guadagnino was a reminder of the impact that the film had on audiences and the film industry as a whole, even as the shadow of the allegations against Hammer loomed over the event.
The situation has left many in the industry questioning what the future holds for Hammer’s career.
Dakota Johnson
Dakota Johnson is an American actress known for her roles in a variety of film and television projects. She is best known for her breakout role in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, where she played the lead character, Anastasia Steele.
Johnson began her acting career in the late 2000s, appearing in several small roles in films and on television. She made her feature film debut in the comedy “Crazy in Alabama,” which starred her mother, Melanie Griffith.
She then went on to appear in a number of other films, including “The Social Network,” “The Five-Year Engagement,” and “Need for Speed.”
In 2013, Johnson was cast in the lead role of Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. The film adaptation of the bestselling novel was a huge box office success, grossing over $950 million worldwide.
Johnson’s portrayal of the character was praised by critics and audiences alike, and she reprised her role in the two sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
Read also: Giancarlo Esposito Expresses Interest in Playing Professor X or Magneto in X-Men Franchise
Movies She Did
Johnson has also starred in a number of other notable films, including “A Bigger Splash,” “Suspiria,” and “The Peanut Butter Falcon.” She has also starred in several television shows, including “Ben and Kate” and “How to Be Single.”
Johnson is known for her talent and versatility as an actress, and she has received numerous accolades for her work. In 2015, she was named one of the top 10 stars to watch by Variety, and in 2018, she was honored with the Hollywood Rising Star award at the Hollywood Film Awards.
In recent years, Johnson has been working on a variety of new projects, including Guillermo del Toro’s new horror film, “Antlers,” and the comedy film “Covers.”
With her talent, dedication, and undeniable screen presence, Johnson continues to be one of the most exciting and sought-after actresses in Hollywood.
Photo: HD Wallpaper
