Dakota Johnson Opens Up About Her Unique Friendship with Madonna

Actress Dakota Johnson recently shared insights into her unusual, decades-long friendship with Madonna. She described their relationship as “weird” but meaningful, recalling that she first met the pop icon when she was very young, due to Madonna’s collaboration with her stepfather, Antonio Banderas, in the 1996 film Evita.

Johnson explained, “We’ve been, like, weird friends for a while. I met her when I was really young because she did a movie with my stepfather.” The actress added that they later connected again when they were supposed to work on a project, which ultimately didn’t happen, but their bond persisted through the years. She expressed admiration for Madonna’s vibrant and wild energy, saying, “It’s just cool that she even wants to talk to me.”

Despite their close bond, the pair is rarely seen publicly together. However, they were photographed at a mutual friend’s birthday celebration earlier this year. Johnson mentioned that Madonna once told her she wanted to show her a documentary she was featured in, though Banderas was initially unaware of Madonna’s feelings toward him, recalling how surprised he was when she called him after filming The Mambo Kings.

Madonna, in turn, has spoken openly about her past crush on Antonio Banderas, whom she had admired and whose relationship with Melanie Griffith she closely followed. Banderas reflected on this in a 2019 interview, explaining how Madonna once surprised him with a call, which he initially thought was a joke. Madonna has attributed their missed romantic opportunity to bad timing, noting that Banderas was with Griffith at the time.