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.
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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.