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“Not What I Thought”: Dakota Johnson Attends First Cannes Festival, Slams Hollywood Directors
Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, posing on the red carpet with mixed reactions from the audience.

“Not What I Thought”: Dakota Johnson Attends First Cannes Festival, Slams Hollywood Directors

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Dakota Johnson turned heads at the Kering Women In Motion Awards in a semi-sheer ensemble that revealed her slender silhouette.

The Fifty Shades of Grey actress attended the event—held during the 78th Cannes Film Festival—in a long, metallic dress featuring a halter neckline.

Dakota accessorized the daring Gucci number with matching diamond earrings and styled her hair in an elegant updo.

Highlights
  • Dakota Johnson sparked mixed reactions with her see-through gown at the Kering Women in Motion Awards.
  • The star is promoting her film Splitsville, in which she served as both actress and producer.
  • Dakota criticized film studios for not making movies that are “risky, scary, dangerous, raw, [and] real.”

The Women In Motion awards are given every year to prominent women and young female talents who seek to raise the profile of women in cinema.

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    Dakota Johnson smiling inside a car, showcasing her natural look amid reactions to her sheer dress at Cannes event.

    Image credits: A24

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    The star was at the prestigious film festival for the first time to premiere her dark comedy Splitsville, in which she both starred and produced through her production company, TeaTime Pictures.

    Her translucent look sparked mixed reactions, with one person writing, “Best I’ve seen a celeb look in a while.”

    “That dress looks gorgeous on her, and it’s like it’s made for Dakota Johnson if that makes sense,” another fan agreed.

    A third added: “I’m not a fan of her acting, but her fashion sense is 🤌🤌🤌”

    The Madame Web actress donned a see-through gown featuring a halter neckline

    Dakota Johnson in a sheer dress at Cannes, showing tattoos and styling long hair with statement earrings.

    Image credits: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images

    However, others said the gown was too revealing or not original enough for a Cannes event red carpet.

    “Boring, also what the heck is up with that hem?” one user wrote.

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    “Beautiful gown, but I hate when you can see the undergarments through it,” shared a separate commenter.

    Someone else penned: “I feel very old and grumpy saying this, but I’m so tired of seeing everyone’s underwear on the red carpet. An opaque fabric, I beg.”

    Dakota Johnson wearing a shimmering sheer dress with large earrings at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions on underwear visibility.

    Image credits: Max Cisotti/Dave Benett/Getty Images

    Image credits: Festival de Cannes

    As it turns out, Halle Berry wore an almost identical dress to the same event.

    Unlike Dakota’s, the Oscar winner’s dress featured a backless design and was not see-through.

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    Some people were not a fan of the gown, calling it too “boring” or unoriginal

    Dakota Johnson wearing a black sleeveless dress with a deep neckline, smiling while standing on stage at a live event.

    Image credits: Saturday Night Live

    Speaking with Variety ahead of the premiere, Dakota shared that she started her production company six years ago because she was sometimes dissatisfied with the final cuts of her films.

    When she watched the films for the first time, she was surprised to find that the director’s vision was not what she had expected.

    “I want more from my experience as an artist. I felt so thirsty for more conversation and more creativity and more collaboration,” the 35-year-old expressed.

    “I found myself as an actor, a few times, showing up to the premiere of a movie to see it the first time and saying, ‘Woah. That is not what I thought we were making.’ That is such a weird thing to do.”

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    She stressed: “We really ensure that every person on the crew knows what we are making, so everybody feels a part of it.”

    Dakota Johnson wearing a shimmering sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about seeing everyone's underwear.

    Image credits: Monica Schipper/Getty Images

    Dakota said it has been difficult for people to take her production company—which she co-founded with her close friend Ro Donnelly—seriously.

    “I think I have glamorized this industry my whole and have thought it’s pure magic. To see behind the curtain in that way was just sh*tty. It was hard.”

    The star, who is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, also criticized Hollywood filmmakers for not taking enough risks with the projects they choose to produce.

    “Some professionals who run studios don’t feel the desire to make things that are different or risky or scary or dangerous or raw and real and human and messy,” she added.

    @dakotajohnsonarg GLOWING! #DakotaJohnson at the #Kering Women in Motion Awards in #Cannes#cannesfilmfestival♬ sonido original – Flori

    “That’s also really hard. As an actor, that is what I am craving. As an audience member, that is what i’m craving. It’s a constant fight. But we are fighters. We hustle. We really work so hard to tell the stories that we love.”

    Dakota told Variety that she’s planning to make her directorial debut with a script written by actress Vanessa Burghardt, who starred in the 2022 romantic drama Cha Cha Real Smooth backed by TeaTime Pictures.

    Woman posing in a shimmering sheer dress, showcasing a glamorous look at a formal event with mixed reactions to the outfit.

    Image credits: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis

    @parismatch#halleberry#womeninmotion#onregardequoi#tiktokcannes#cannes2025#cannes @Kering ♬ son original – linouuuu


    The Madame Web actress said: “In Cha Cha Real Smooth, the girl that plays my daughter… she is an autistic actress and musician.

    “She has written a script. It’s really special. It’s about a young woman with autism, and I feel very protective of her and her story and her mind. She is just an unbelievable woman. 

    “So that’s kind of the thing, I just don’t think I could allow anyone else to direct it. So we will see.”

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions over revealing outfits on the red carpet.

    Image credits: Doug Peters/PA Image, Lionel Hahn/Getty Images

    Dakota described the atmosphere on the set of her TeaTime Pictures productions as “really vibe-based” and explained that she has implemented a “no a**holes policy” to foster a healthy work environment.

    “Working in movies… the hours are long and it’s grueling,” the Texas native said. “It’s not comfortable. It’s not nice. When you feel like you’re genuinely invested in something, people are happier and they work better.”

    In addition to Splitsville and Cha Cha Real Smooth, TeaTime Pictures has produced Am I OK?, Loser Baby, Daddio, The Disappearance of Shere Hite, and Unfit.

    Splitsville is scheduled to premiere in theaters on August 22.

    The online fashion police judged the Fifty Shades star’s red carpet look

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about seeing everyone's underwear.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about seeing everyone's underwear on the red carpet.

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    Comment expressing dislike for visible undergarments in a beautiful gown, referencing Dakota Johnson's sheer dress at Cannes.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about visible underwear and fashion choices.

    Comment expressing frustration about seeing everyone's underwear on the red carpet, referencing sheer dress fashion at Cannes.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about revealing underwear and fashion choices.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about visibility of underwear on the red carpet.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about visibility of underwear and fashion choices.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about seeing everyone's underwear.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about seeing everyone's underwear on the red carpet.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about seeing everyone’s underwear on the red carpet.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes stirring mixed reactions about seeing underwear on the red carpet.

    Caption on a white background saying someone forgetting to dislike Dakota Johnson after seeing her in a gorgeous gown.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about seeing everyone’s underwear on the red carpet.

    Dakota Johnson wearing a sheer dress at Cannes, sparking mixed reactions about revealing underwear fashion.

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    Marina Urman

    Marina Urman

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

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    With a degree in social science and a love for culture, I approach entertainment journalism at Bored Panda with a research-driven mindset. I write about celebrity news, Hollywood highlights, and viral stories that spark curiosity worldwide. My work has reached millions of readers and is recognized for balancing accuracy with an engaging voice. I believe that pop culture isn’t just entertainment, it reflects the social conversations shaping our time.

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    Marina Urman

    Marina Urman

    Writer, Entertainment News Writer

    With a degree in social science and a love for culture, I approach entertainment journalism at Bored Panda with a research-driven mindset. I write about celebrity news, Hollywood highlights, and viral stories that spark curiosity worldwide. My work has reached millions of readers and is recognized for balancing accuracy with an engaging voice. I believe that pop culture isn’t just entertainment, it reflects the social conversations shaping our time.

    What do you think ?
    Serena Myers
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am so thankful that I am elderly and ordinary and nobody in the media gives a 💩 about me! Just pottering round the garden, the plums, apples, quince are fruiting, courgettes, blackcurrants, raspberries, strawberries looking good, hedgehogs fed. My life is so peaceful. I don't have their money, or their fame, but do I really care? No.

    Gavin Johnson
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What is wrong with folk? It’s her body, she can wear whatever she wants on it, just like you can on yours. It’s clothing, we’ve been wearing many forms of it for quite some time now, you’d have thought people would’ve got used to it by now.

    JuJu
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Dress for the occassion!" And Cannes is not a place for her dress (or a talentfree nepo baby)

    Load More Replies...
    KatSaidWhat
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If I had a body like hers, I'd quit my day job and be on OF to make real money 😆

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Serena Myers
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I am so thankful that I am elderly and ordinary and nobody in the media gives a 💩 about me! Just pottering round the garden, the plums, apples, quince are fruiting, courgettes, blackcurrants, raspberries, strawberries looking good, hedgehogs fed. My life is so peaceful. I don't have their money, or their fame, but do I really care? No.

    Gavin Johnson
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    What is wrong with folk? It’s her body, she can wear whatever she wants on it, just like you can on yours. It’s clothing, we’ve been wearing many forms of it for quite some time now, you’d have thought people would’ve got used to it by now.

    JuJu
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "Dress for the occassion!" And Cannes is not a place for her dress (or a talentfree nepo baby)

    Load More Replies...
    KatSaidWhat
    Community Member
    6 months ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If I had a body like hers, I'd quit my day job and be on OF to make real money 😆

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
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