While the fans' verdict on actress Dakota Johnson being cast as Anastasia Steele in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie is undoubtedly a mixed bag, director Sarah Mintz (Transit) recently gave her friend her stamp of approval.

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During a sitdown interview with Cosmopolitan on Dec. 18, Mintz praised Johnson not only for her craft, but also for the person she is as well.

"Oh Dakota, I love her! She really is just a beautiful person. We have actually known each other for a while. We met peripherally through friends and then through school--we went to high school together for a few years too. We were close but we weren't like tight-knit friends. And I just knew she was the kind of person that I wanted for the film," she said.

Interesting enough, Mintz stated that she had felt that the 24-year-old would be given an opportunity along the lines of Fifty Shades from the get-go.

"I respect her utterly, and I knew she was going to get work. I was pretty sure something big was going to happen for her--and soon. So this was my time to work with her, or to start to work with her. I knew she was a talent and I'm incredibly happy for her," she added.

The director continued on by stating that she thinks that Johnson will indeed be pushing the envelope in terms of the unique spin the latter will put on the shy college graduate turned Red Room of Pain character.

"I think she's going to bring something to the Fifty Shades movie that no-one else can bring. I'm in full support of her," Mintz said.

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The Fifty Shades of Grey movie is currently being filmed and slated to make its debut on the big screen on Feb. 13, 2015. Be sure to keep checking back with Enstars for more of the latest info. 

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