CNN 10 star is 'shameless'

Dakota Johnson will star in 2015's adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey."

• Dakota Johnson covers the March issue of Elle magazine


• The "Fifty Shades of Grey" star talks about why she signed up for the part


• She's also part of CNN Entertainment's CNN 10 list

(CNN) -- When it comes to Dakota Johnson, there are zero shades of gray.

The 24-year-old actress, who's poised to become a breakout star in 2015's "Fifty Shades of Grey," has bluntly said that she's an open book for her racy role.

More unseen photos of Dakota Johnson in Elle

"I don't have any problem doing anything," Johnson tells Elle magazine of portraying Anastasia Steele, the young woman who gets a sexual education with a very steep learning curve in E.L. James' erotic novel.

"The secret," she says "is I have no shame."

As the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, Dakota has been determined to act since adolescence. But it wasn't until she was cast as Ana Steele -- much to the chagrin of some fans -- that she became more of a household name.

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And it wasn't just the sure-to-be-publicized sex scenes that drew Johnson in.

"Reading the book, I found myself more interested in the ways they were breaking each other down emotionally than the sex scenes," Johnson explains to Elle. "I think there's a part of a woman that wants to be the thing that breaks a man down."

Or, perhaps, she wants to be the thing that breaks down an audience that didn't quite believe in her.

Want to know more about Dakota? We've got you covered in our CNN 10 list of Hollywood's freshest faces.