Actress Dakota Johnson Launching Podcast For Victims Of Sexual Assault

“50 Shades of Grey” actress turned into podcaster Dakota Johnson, who played the naive Ana in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” is taking on a more serious project–a podcast for...

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“50 Shades of Grey” actress turned into podcaster

Dakota Johnson, who played the naive Ana in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” is taking on a more serious project–a podcast for victims of sexual assault. Johnson’s podcast, “The Left Ear,” is based on voicemails women left for the actress about their experiences with sexual violence.

At the Global Citizen Festival last year, Johnson gave out her phone number and asked women to call her and talk about sexual assault. They did, and “The Left Ear” is the result.

“One year ago I asked women and girls around the world to call me and leave a voicemail telling their stories of sexual violence, harassment, and gender based inequalities. I didn’t want to speak on their behalf, I wanted to listen to them,” Johnson wrote on Instagram. “This is ‘The Left Ear’. A podcast where you will find the voicemails I listened to. To protect anonymity the voices have been slightly pitched, and any identifiers have been removed. Other than that, they have not been edited. These are real stories from real people around the world.”

Johnson commends the women for being brave enough to tell their stories, and thanked the podcast’s audience for being willing to listen.

“In this podcast, I want to create a space where the listener is listening just as honestly and bravely as the speakers who had the courage to call,” Johnson said. “Your left ear is the ear closest to your heart. And by listening with your heart, you can save someone even just a little bit.”