In their film, The High Note, both Dakota Johnson and Tracee Ellis Ross play women at different stages of their careers attempting to follow their dreams. Johnson’s character, Maggie Sherwoode, is an assistant discovering a passion for music production, while Ross’s Grace Davis is a celebrated pop diva yearning to continue pushing forward a career her management team would rather she hang up with a Vegas residency.
Bolstered by a star-studded cast, Darkchild-produced soundtrack, and a heartwarming core plot, the new comedy from the two Hollywood heavyweights proves that when women work together to achieve those just-out-of-reach goals, the results can be off the charts.
For the film’s lead, though, The High Note serves as more than just a feel-good weekend watch; rather it’s a visual culmination of what happens when female actresses, screenwriters, and directors work together for a project. If anything, The High Note is just the tip of the iceberg as an example of how far storytelling—when shaped by women—can go.
Below, BAZAAR.com speaks with Johnson about her involvement in the film, working with a female-dominant crew, and her hope for the future of film.
This is a super-heartwarming film that follows two very different women who are following very different dreams. Why did you want to be a part of this film and help tell this specific story?
I started working in comedy, and I love it so much, and I don’t often choose to make comedies. But I read the script, and I just loved it. I thought that it would be a really great time, and I thought I’d have a wonderful time making this movie, and be able to be ambitious and cool and funny and goofy, and also touch on subjects that are important to me, like young women really working towards their dreams and believing in themselves and supporting each other. Those are scenes in the movie that are important and that you don’t often see.
Including yourself, it’s a very star-studded cast. You have Tracee Ellis Ross, you have Ice Cube, you have a cameo from Diplo. What was the dynamic on set while filming?
It was just really funny and great. We were on a pretty tight schedule, so everyone was pretty exhausted most of the time. We were all kind of training before and after work anyway. Like, Kelvin [Harrison Jr.] and Tracee were in vocal lessons, and I was in piano lessons. So it was pretty full-on, but it was lovely. It was really lovely. Read the rest of this entry
TeaTime Pictures is an independent entertainment company founded by Dakota Johnson and Ro Donnelly.
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