Dakota Johnson covers Vogue’s October issue. There are actually multiple cover stars, and yet… all of the covers and editorials have been pretty underwhelming. With Dakota, I’m starting to suspect that Vogue’s stylists were the ones to trim her bangs shorter, and she’s just been keeping them that way since the shoot. Because what is this??? I accepted her bangs trauma when it was longer and more of a Stevie Nicks vibe. Alas, they’ve got Dakota looking like Spock. Anyway, this is Dakota’s first major interview in a while. She talks a bit about her post-Chris Martin life and what it’s like to be 36/37 and still unmarried and childfree. Some highlights:

She sold her famous midcentury LA home & her Malibu home post-split: She’s also pulled up stakes from Malibu, where she lived with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin during their eight-year partnership, which ended last June. This—house, life stage, moment, what have you—is not exactly where the actress thought she would be at 36. “My life has just unfolded in a surprising way,” she says.

She doesn’t want anyone to talk about her breakup: “I am obsessed with people not knowing where I am or what I’m doing. I’m far too porous and sensitive and present. I don’t—I can’t deal.”

Her love of musicians: “They like me. I don’t know what to say.” Beat. “And I like them.” [Vogue asks, “What’s not to like?”] “A lot! A lot.” Peal of laughter. “Tricky motherf–kers.”

She doesn’t like rules: “Rules are really tough for me,” Johnson says, smiling. Besides, “it just became such a dangerous place, going to school.”

Working back-to-back for years: “I’ve worked back-to-back for so long that now I have this deep calling to shift my perspective a bit and maybe have a bit more of a real life. I’ve been gone for, like, 20 years. The people in my life are so used to me leaving for months at a time.”

She wants a family: “I just want to be authentic. I want to unfold and unfold and really lovingly embrace this life.” That includes a family of her own. She wants to have children. “I really do. I didn’t expect to be this age and at this place in my life, but for whatever reason, that’s the plan of the universe. So I would love that. I hope that that happens for me. I’ve always felt, especially the last few years, that there is a soul that wants to come through. And I hope that I’m lucky enough to be able to do that.”

Working with moms who bring their babies on the road: “It’s hard to be around my best friends, and even on set, and everyone has their baby, and, you know, starting families, and things turned out differently than I thought. But it’s okay. I’m hopeful for that. I also just keep learning more and more and becoming a more solid woman.”

[From Vogue]

This piece reminded me a little bit of Kirsten Dunst before she met and fell in love with Jesse Plemons. Like, Dunst was in her 30s and she had just gotten to a point where she was very focused on finding “the guy” and getting married and having a child. And then it happened for her very quickly and she never looked back. I think that’s what Dakota is indicating – that she’s 36/37 and this is not the way she thought her life would look, and maybe it’s time to change her priorities and change her outlook too. First things first: stop dating younger musicians. Like, find a solid guy who wants to start a family. For the record, being childfree is amazing and I 100% respect that choice. But Dakota is clearly saying that she doesn’t want to be childfree, and I respect that as well. I want that for her, because I’m sure she would be a great mom.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, cover courtesy of Vogue.