Dakota Mayi Johnson was born into Hollywood royalty – her parents, Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, were both household names long before she took her first steps on set. But Dakota has quietly carved her own space in the industry. While most audiences first met her as Anastasia Steele in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” she’s steadily built a resume that goes well beyond her breakout role, giving nuanced performances in films like “The Lost Daughter” and “Cha Cha Real Smooth.” Each project has pulled her away from the shadow of her famous family and marked her as an artist in her own right.
Despite being in the public eye since childhood, Dakota maintains an air of mystery. Unlike many celebrities who share daily updates and intimate details on social media, she opts for subtlety and selective openness. In a 2022 Vanity Fair profile, she said, “Love is the most important thing in the world, but it’s not always easy.” For someone who so rarely comments on her private life, it was an unusually candid moment – hinting at how deeply she values real connection, while acknowledging its complexity.
Relationships Through the Years
Though Dakota’s love life tends to spark tabloid interest, she consistently keeps public scrutiny at arm’s length. Her most enduring and well-known romance has been with Chris Martin, the soft-spoken lead singer of Coldplay. The two were first linked in 2017, and, true to form, have managed to preserve genuine privacy around their partnership. Rare photos surface here and there – concert cameos, beach walks, the occasional family outing – but Dakota and Chris keep the details of their relationship strictly to themselves.
Before she began seeing Martin, Dakota dated Matthew Hitt, the lead singer of indie band Drowners, from 2014 to 2016. Their on-and-off romance was built, reportedly, on a mutual love of music and art, but even as cameras hovered nearby, Dakota kept her feelings close to the chest. Hints of other possible romances have emerged over the years – for instance, a brief coffee date with Jon Hamm in 2017 set rumor mills spinning, though neither ever confirmed any spark. Instances like these are more a reflection of public curiosity than her own openness.
What truly sets Dakota apart is how she draws the line between her professional and private life. She’ll talk about her craft, her creative inspirations, and her growth as an artist, but rarely volunteers details about her relationships. During a notorious 2018 appearance on The Ellen Show, she side-stepped intrusive questions with a wry sense of humor, turning awkwardness into an art form. These moments have become a signature – Dakota’s way of signaling that not everything is fair game, no matter how persistent the spotlight.
As she’s grown into herself, Dakota seems to have found a more comfortable balance. Early in her career, she often seemed hesitant and reserved during interviews, her guard firmly up. These days – perhaps with experience and age – she’s become more forthright about her work and creative process, and she’s even spoken publicly about mental health. Still, she remains careful about what she shares, practicing what feels like conscious, not defensive, privacy.
Past Relationships
Chris Martin
Jon Hamm
Matthew Hitt
Benedict Cumberbatch
Jordan Masterson
Cosmo Jarvis
Hollywood relationships are notoriously fragile, but Dakota and Chris Martin seem to have discovered their own rhythm: steady, understated, unhurried. Maybe that’s exactly why they’ve lasted when so many high-profile couples don’t. Their relationship, like much of Dakota’s life, exists mostly offstage – separated from the glare of cameras and the clamor of headlines. And maybe, for Dakota Johnson, that’s just how she’s always wanted it.
