“Madame Web” was released Feb. 14 to disappointing box office performance and mixed critical reviews. But star Dakota Johnson has given a flawless performance in her press tour, fans say. Johnson’s playfully deadpan interviews leading up to the movie’s premiere have fans bestowing her the title “best celebrity.”
In a March interview with Bustle, Johnson commented on the meme-dom, saying she was "not surprised that this has gone down the way it has."
"It was a real learning experience, and of course it’s not nice to be a part of something that’s ripped to shreds, but I can’t say that I don’t understand," she said, calling it a "learning experience."
What is ‘Madame Web’ about?
Dakota Johnson stars as a New York paramedic named Cassandra "Cassie" Webb, whose life turns upside down when she gains psychic powers and becomes Madame Web herself. Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Conner and Isabelle Merced play three girls she must protect.
The movie has a 13% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Rolling Stone’s review called it “A genuine Chernobyl-level disaster.” The Daily Beast said it was “a torturous saga.”
While Madame Web is a Marvel character, the movie was released through Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Why are people talking about Dakota Johnson's 'Madame Web' interviews?
It all started with a single sentence.
One of Johnson’s lines from the “Madame Web” trailer went viral. Cassandra says, in voiceover, “He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died.” The line featured in many memes, including a Super Bowl mashup.
Fans were disappointed to learn it didn't make the final cut of the movie.
Why did this line have such a chokehold on the internet? When asked by Huffpost UK, Johnson’s evasive response to that question also went viral. Johnson asked why that line was funny, prompting the reporter to say that it’s funny “out of context.”
“Isn’t any sentence out of context, out of context?” Johnson responded.
“Screaming at her wanting him to admit it was funny specifically because of HOW she said it and him desperately trying to find a reason to not say it to her face,” wrote X user @rorym888.
Johnson continued to delight during the press tour. She made headlines for not being able to name the titles of the Spider-Man movies that Tom Holland was in.
“Dakota Johnson is absolutely the best celebrity,” wrote X user @alex_abads, alongside a clip of Johnson incorrectly calling one of the movies “Spider Man: Here He Comes.” (Her other answers were: “Spider-Man: And He’s Back” and “The Goblet of Spider-Man.”)
Johnson's delivery of the line, “I have always really loved Marvel movies,” wearing her “Madame Web” paramedic costume, had commentators laughing. Her statement directly contracted another “Madame Web” interview she did, in which she had seen “four percent” of Marvel movies, translating to “15 minutes of one.”
Johnson also made headlines for saying that she hasn’t seen “Madame Web”, and doesn’t watch her own movies, during an interview with Magic FM. “Not watching my movies is like self care,” said Johnson.
The actor’s off kilter and seemingly unguarded responses have garnered her a fanbase of devotees. An interaction from a 2019 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" went viral. She and the host were speaking about whether Johnson had invited DeGeneres to her birthday party. DeGeneres said she “wasn’t invited.”
“Actually, no, that’s not the truth, Ellen. You were invited,” Johnson said. “Last time I was on the show last year, you gave me a bunch of s--- about not inviting you, but I didn’t even know you wanted to be invited. I didn’t even know you liked me!” She said she “invited her” but DeGeneres didn’t come.
She also mystified and entranced audiences during her Architectural Digest home tour video.
“I love limes. I love them. They’re great. I love them so much, and I like to present them like this in my house,” she said, gesturing to a large bowl of limes displayed in her kitchen.
Later on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, she put her truth into the limelight, so to speak.
“I actually didn’t even know that they were in there, I was giving the tour and went into the kitchen, and it was set dressing,” she confessed. “I’m actually — I’m allergic to limes,” she added.