The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy may have been a big financial hit for actress Dakota Johnson but she admits that it came with its share of challenges. Even though she has no regrets about making the movies and admits that they boosted her career in a big way, she is recalling some of the behind-the-scenes “mayhem” of making the trilogy which includes the films changing from what she originally signed up for and constant battles with the author of books, E.L. James, over the creative direction of the movies.
Johnson spoke with Vanity Fair for a recent cover story and she admits that she can finally open up about the experience of participating in the $1.3 billion grossing film trilogy. Johnson played Anatasia Steele in the film and she admits she accepted the role because she was engaged by director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s stripped-down version of the book. Ultimately, the script would eventually change and most of these changes were courtesy of author E.L. James. Johnson admits, “I signed up to do a very different version of the film we ended up making.” Here is more of what Johnson said about working with E.L. James:
“She had a lot of creative control, all day, every day, and she just demanded that certain things happen. There were parts of the books that just wouldn’t work in a movie, like the inner monologue, which was at times incredibly cheesy. It wouldn’t work to say out loud. It was always a battle. Always.”
Playwright Patrick Marber was brought in to revise the script after actor Charlie Hunnam had to drop out from playing Christian Grey following a scheduling conflict. Jamie Dornan eventually replace Hunnam but Johnson reveals that E.L. James completely scrapped Marber’s revised script:
“I was young. I was 23. So it was scary. It just became something crazy. There were a lot of different disagreements. I haven’t been able to talk about this truthfully ever, because you want to promote a movie the right way, and I’m proud of what we made ultimately and everything turns out the way it’s supposed to, but it was tricky.”
Judging from some of the script changes going on behind the scenes, it’s easy to see why the films turned into a bit of a muddled mess. E.L. James’ books aren’t known for their literary artistry but there is a shell of a good idea in them. Maybe if she had been more willing to relinquish control, the films could’ve turned out a bit better.
Johnson went on to reveal that during filming they would “do takes of that that [author] Erika wanted to make, and then we would do the takes of the movie that we wanted to make. The night before, I would rewrite scenes with the old dialogue so I could add a line here and there. It was like mayhem all the time.”
Also, despite reports to the contrary, Johnson says that she did get along with her co-star, Jamie Dornan. She admits, even if it sounds strange, he was like a brother to her during the entire experience because they “needed to be a team” especially since they “were doing the weirdest things for years.”
“There was never a time when we didn’t get along. I know it’s weird, but he’s like a brother to me. I love him so, so, so much. And we were really there for each other. We had to really trust each other and protect each other.”
Probably because of some of the creative interference back and forth, director Sam Taylor-Johson did not return to helm the next two films. She was replaced by James Foley and Johnson admits things were “different” with Foley given the fact that he was a man and it brought different energy:
“Sam didn’t come back to direct after the first movie, and, as a female, she had brought a softer perspective. James Foley came on to direct, and he’s an interesting man. It was different doing those bizarre things with a man behind the camera. Just a different energy. There are things that I still cannot say because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s career and I don’t want to damage anybody’s reputation, but both Jamie and I were treated really well. Erika is a very nice woman, and she was always kind to me and I am grateful she wanted me to be in those movies.”
Johnson really has no regrets about making the movies because she admits “it was great for our careers” but she admits a lot of the process was weird and probably a big learning curve for the actress. Johnson said, “I don’t think it’s a matter of regret. If I had known at the time that’s what it was going to be like, I don’t think anyone would’ve done it. It would’ve been like, ‘Oh, this is psychotic.’ But no, I don’t regret it.”
