Dakota Johnson opens up about challenges behind directorial debut

Dakota Johnson, a Hollywood actress, is preparing for her debut as a filmmaker with A Tree Is Blue, an offbeat drama about the life of an autistic woman.

Dakota Johnson, 36, told Deadline during the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, about the film’s first details, which were penned by actor and author Vanessa Burghardt.

However, Fifty Shades of Grey star Johnson’s co-alum Vanessa Burghardt in Cha Cha Real Smooth will also play a major role in the movie.

“She’s a young autistic woman and a remarkable human. She wrote this story about what it’s like to be an autistic girl who just wants connection and independence, and is trying to figure out who she is in relation to other people.” Johnson praised her collaborator.

Johnson, who plans to produce her directorial debut on her own, acknowledged that funders were hesitant to back such a movie.

“I think people are afraid to take risks and make an independent film written by and starring an autistic girl. For me, it’s a no-brainer, but it’s a big risk for a lot of people,” Johnson continued.

Touching on the contemporary entertainment world, the Materialists actress stated, “People are more inhibited when it comes to what they want to invest in and what they want to put forth in the world in terms of cinema and television. This film is a battle that I’m fighting, and I will fight until we get it out to the world.”

It is pertinent to note that Dakota Johnson was last spotted in the film Materialist along with co-partners Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans.