A year after Dakota Johnson shared her phone number on stage at the Global Citizen Festival, the 50 Shades of Grey actor has unveiled a new podcast that tells the stories of sexual assault survivors.
Podcast The Left Ear launched its first episode over the weekend and is hosted by Johnson, who shares compilations of voicemails she received from women and girls about their experiences.
Following a series of teasers posted last week, Johnson shared an Instagram post today about The Left Ear.
She wrote, “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 described it as “a podcast where you will find the voicemails I listened to”.
In a previous trailer posted earlier this month, Johnson explained that it had all started when she released her phone number during a speech at the Global Citizen Festival in New York last September, appealing for people to share their stories.
Within 30 minutes, she said she had received “8000 voicemails” and in the trailer, callers identified themselves from places as diverse as Cameroon, Malaysia, London and Texas.
The Suspiria actor added that to protect the callers “voices have been slightly pitched, and any identifiers have been removed”, adding that they had otherwise “not been edited”. She also warned that listening to the stories “can feel very intense” and implored people to “take care of yourself if you choose to listen.”
Johnson also explained the name of the weekly series, saying in her Instagram post, “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.”
In the podcast trailer, she further elaborated and said, “By listening with your heart, you create a safe space for the silenced.”
The first episode of the podcast, which is produced by Spoke Media, has been released on platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and runs at just under thirteen minutes long.
Throughout it, Johnson thanks people for “listening” and “their time”, as well as thanking the speakers for their “bravery” with the affirmation, “We hear you. We witness you.”
It wraps up with another voice telling listeners who may “have a story similar to these” that they can talk to the National Sexual Assault Hotline in the United States at the number 1-800-675-4673. It also redirects listeners to The Left Ear’s website as well as to show notes for the podcast in the description, which includes numbers and resources for sexual assault survivors.
Johnson explained the origins of the podcast in a prologue for The Left Ear, which recounted the moments before she released her phone number at Global Citizen Festival.
Johnson, who was asked to speak on behalf of its She is Equal campaign, said, “Something struck me as I was on my way to New York to prepare my speech. I didn’t feel comfortable speaking on behalf of the people who had endured these experiences. I wanted to hear from them. I didn’t want to speak, I wanted to listen.”
“So I got a phone number linked to a voicemail box. I presented the phone number on stage and I asked women and girls around the world to call me and tell me their stories,” Johnson continued. “I promised that I would get their voices heard.”
The first episode of The Left Ear is currently available to listen to on podcasting platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and new ones will be released weekly.
The NHS has a guide to a number of resources for those looking to report and/or seek help following a case of sexual assault. The Rape Crisis helpline can be reached at 008 802 9999 and further assistance can be found at your closest Rape and Sexual Assault Referral Centre, which can be found here.
