Dakota Johnson Discusses Working With Shia LaBeouf on 'Peanut Butter Falcon'

la special screening of roadside attractions' "the peanut butter falcon" arrivals

(Image credit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin)

published 12 May 2020

Dakota Johnson is Marie Claire's summer cover star. In the issue, she talks about her specific taste when it comes to choosing projects. One of those projects was the 2019 film, The Peanut Butter Falcon. She was in Italy and “in a place that felt very dark” when she was drawn to it a few years ago.

The drama follows a young man with Down syndrome (Zack Gottsagen) who runs away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. On the way, he becomes unlikely friends with an outlaw (Shia LaBeouf) and Johnson plays a romantic interest to LaBeouf's character. LaBeouf and Johnson have admired each other's work ever since.

“I think Shia might be the greatest actor of my generation, which I wouldn’t say to his face,” Johnson jokes to MC.

The Peanut Butter Falcon | Official Trailer | Roadside Attractions - YouTube

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This isn't the first time Johnson has spoken about her co-star. On The Ellen DeGeneres Show in January (yep, that interview), DeGeneres asked how she felt about LaBeouf's arrest for public drunkenness in the middle of filming.

"It was a really kind of sad, and I felt very protective of him, and I felt…that's a really terrifying and difficult journey for somebody to experience," Johnson said on the show. "And I felt really aware of that." She continued, "I don't condemn people for their mistakes, I want them to get through it."

Besides discovering her admiration for LaBeouf while filming, she ended up finding one of "the greatest loves of her life." And, no, it's not her boyfriend, Chris Martin.

"Zack Gottsagen has become one of the greatest loves of my life," she tells Marie Claire about her other Peanut Butter Falcon co-star. "He totally shifted my world."

Read the full Dakota Johnson cover story here.

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Bianca Rodriguez is the Audience Development Manager at Future, covering fashion, beauty, and more for Marie Claire, Who What Wear US and Who What Wear UK. In addition to spearheading SEO content across brands—whether writing about wardrobe must-haves or strategizing how to make eye-catching content—she is also an avid reader with a deep love and knowledge for books of all genres. More often than not, you can find her lounging with a good book on the weekend.