Dakota Johnson Reveals She’s Been ‘Weird Friends’ with Madonna for Years
The actress opens up about her unlikely bond with Madonna, tracing their connection from family ties to creative sparks and a friendship she calls ‘beautiful and wild.
The Splitsville actress opens up about her longtime connection with the Queen of Pop, recalling early encounters, creative sparks, and an enduring bond
Dakota Johnson is letting fans in on one of her most surprising friendships — with none other than Madonna.
The Fifty Shades alum, 35, recently sat down with costar Adria Arjona for E! News to promote their new film Splitsville. During the chat, Johnson was asked about her recent appearance in a series of photos Madonna, 67, shared on Instagram in July. In the pictures, Johnson rests her head on the singer’s shoulder while posing alongside Madonna’s longtime manager Guy Oseary and comedian Dave Chappelle at CAA executive Maha Dakhil’s birthday celebration.
“I really love her. We’ve been like weird friends for a while,” Johnson said of the pop legend. “I met her when I was really young because she did a movie with my stepfather, and then I got to know her later because we were going to work together on something.”
She continued, “We’ve always kind of circled each other, but she is an energy to be near that is so beautiful and so wild. It’s just cool that she even wants to talk to me.”
A Family Connection Through Evita
Johnson’s stepfather, Antonio Banderas, famously starred opposite Madonna in the 1996 film adaptation of Evita, released the same year he married Johnson’s mother, actress Melanie Griffith. Johnson, whose father is actor Don Johnson, was just seven years old at the time, but the connection would lay the groundwork for her friendship with Madonna years later.
While Johnson didn’t reveal which project she and Madonna once discussed collaborating on, fans noted that the singer’s 1984 classic “Material Girl” appeared in the first trailer for Johnson’s summer release Materialists.
Madonna and Johnson’s Paths in Film
Though best known for her trailblazing music career, Madonna has a long history in cinema, from A League of Their Own (1992) to her Golden Globe-winning turn in Evita. She last acted in 2006’s Arthur and the Invisibles and directed the 2011 historical drama W.E. She has also been developing a biopic of her life and career, with Julia Garner attached to star.
Johnson, meanwhile, has been expanding her creative footprint in Hollywood. Alongside Splitsville, she will star in the 2026 adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel Verity. At the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, Johnson revealed she plans to make her feature directorial debut with a script by her Cha Cha Real Smooth costar Vanessa Burghardt.
Two Icons, One Friendship
For Johnson, the friendship with Madonna feels both unexpected and natural. “She is an energy to be near that is so beautiful and so wild,” Johnson said, adding that she still finds it surreal that the Queen of Pop wants to connect with her.
As both women continue carving out new chapters in their careers — Madonna as she celebrates her 67th birthday and Johnson as she branches into directing — their “weird friendship” stands as a reminder that some of Hollywood’s most fascinating bonds are also the most unlikely.
