Dakota Johnson explained why she believes things are “really fucking bleak” in the entertainment industry.

In an interview with L’Officiel magazine, the Madame Web actress claimed that she and Ro Donnelly want to build deep, nuanced stories centred on strong female protagonists through their production company TeaTime Pictures. When asked if she felt compelled to make shows like that in order for them to be made, the actress did not mince words.

“I am discovering that it’s really fucking bleak in this industry,” she told the outlet. “It is majorly disheartening. The people who run streaming platforms don’t trust creative people or artists to know what’s going to work, and that is just going to make us implode. It’s really heartbreaking.”

She noted that, as seen by her most recent film, Daddio, she has struggled to develop things that are unique and “very forward” in the narrative they are aiming to convey. She claimed it took a lot of fighting to have the film made, despite Sony Classics purchasing it at the Telluride Film Festival.

“People are just so afraid, and I’m like, why? What’s going to happen if you do something brave? It just feels like nobody knows what to do and everyone’s afraid,” she explained. “That’s what it feels like. Everyone who makes decisions is afraid. They want to do the safe thing, and the safe thing is really boring.”