Dakota Johnson speaking with Dodge College students Nov. 6

As part of the seven in-person master class sessions, actress Dakota Johnson will be coming to Dodge College to screen and discuss her upcoming film “The Lost Daughter.” WikiCommons

Following Dodge College’s inaugural in-person master class, which made headlines last week when “The Sopranos” creator David Chase finally confirmed Tony Soprano’s death, actress Dakota Johnson will be making her way down to Orange to talk to Chapman students Nov. 6.

Along with these guest appearances, The Hollywood Reporter’s senior awards analyst, Scott Feinberg, will moderate each session and post the recording as part of his Awards Chatter podcast, which entails 60-minute conversations with notable Hollywood creatives. He is also teaching a class connected with the series called “The Art of the Interview” to give students insight into how to conduct a successful interview.

This week’s guest made her big break in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” (2015) film adaptation, an erotic romance with a side of whips and chains. Yet despite Johnson’s initial claim to fame, she hasn’t let franchise films define her career.

“Unlike David Chase, I have previously interviewed Dakota, so I know where some areas are where she gets particularly passionate about, but I think that one of them is going to be about the difference in being directed by a female director and a male director,” Feinberg said about the upcoming master class. “She's been in movies that have put her into some sensitive positions, and she has said it definitely makes a difference, so I’d like her to expand upon that.”

Stephen Galloway, dean of Dodge College and former executive editor of The Hollywood Reporter, told The Panther he reached out to Feinberg, who is his former colleague, to conduct the series in order to achieve a greater osmosis between Chapman and Hollywood for students.

“First of all, it’s really important to hear from the people who are making it and have made it about what goes into that,” Galloway said. “It’s not an easy career for anybody. And the more you learn from the people who have done it, the better equipped you are. Second, it’s great for us to actually know about these people and their careers.”

Most students might recognize Johnson from the candid interview she did with Ellen DeGeneres, calling out the popular television host for missing her birthday party — a moment that turned into a viral meme. 

“I think I just like (Johnson’s) personality even more than her acting,” said Sophia Bain, a junior film studies major. “All the stuff with Ellen was kind of a meme, (and) I just thought it was really funny. (Johnson) just feels a little bit less caught up in … being a celebrity, but she’s also been in some of my favorite movies.”

Following the conclusion of the Fifty Shades trilogy, Johnson starred in auteur director Luca Guadagnino’s remake of the classic Italian horror film “Suspiria,” which she has previously named her most challenging role. Now she’s braving the part of a young mother grappling with the complicated feelings of raising a child in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut “The Lost Daughter.”

Students will get the privilege of screening the film early, courtesy of Netflix. “The Lost Daughter” won’t be made available to the general public until it premieres in theatres Dec. 17. It will also be available for streaming Dec. 31.

“I just think it’s sick that we get the opportunity (to watch) the movie before it releases,” said Jackson Beebe, a freshman film production major. “I feel like a lot of movie watching isn’t incorporated into Dodge curriculum as much as it should be, so any movie they’re putting out in that awesome theater is going to be good.

Feinberg said he also hopes to discuss Johnson’s upbringing, growing up in a family of famous actresses. Her mother is Melanie Griffith, Golden Globe winner known for her role in “Working Girl,” and her grandmother is Tippi Hedren, known for playing the leading role in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”

“I’m secretly hoping that she’s gonna bring her mother and grandmother because they’re famous and they’re movie history,” Galloway said. “But I thought what’s interesting with her is how, as a woman, you navigate what’s always been a really sexist industry.”

Johnson is currently under fire for denouncing cancel culture and praising the experiences she had working with the likes of Armie Hammer and Shia LaBeouf, who have since been ostracized due to allegations of abuse. Time will only tell if this is something she is going to address on Saturday.

Following Johnson’s appearance, upcoming master classes will see Jamie Lee Curtis, Harvey Keitel, Denis Villeneuve and Halle Berry coming to Dodge College to speak with Feinberg and answer student questions.

“With every student, it’s up to them what they take,” Galloway said. “But I look back on my university days and the major speakers who came that I didn’t go to, and I regret it. Because you never again in your life get that kind of access, candor and off-the-record conversation at the point where it’s extraordinarily useful as you try to shape your career and help you in making your own decisions.”