Dakota Johnson shares her thoughts on ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’. Image Source: Page Six
Dakota Johnson shares her thoughts on ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, actress Dakota Johnson opened up about her global success as Anastasia Steele in ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.
The actress mentioned that she is a sexual person and when she is interested in something she wants to know so much about it. That is why she signed up for the movie, or how she put it, "those big naked movies" and added that she had signed up for a very different version of the movie compared to what they have ended up making.
Dakota Johnson said that the problem was with the director of the movie, Sam Taylor-Johnson, and the author of the books, i.e., E.L. James. The actress continued that the author had a lot of creative control, all day and every day and she would just demand that certain things happen. Dakota also stated that there were parts of the books that would not work on screen, such as the inner monologue, which she described as incredibly cheesy at times and would not have worked if said aloud.
The actress said that when she had heard she read a monologue from "Persona"—the Ingmar Bergman classic from 1966—and thought that it was going to be different. She also revealed that after she was finalized for three movies opposite Charlie Hunnam’s Christian Grey, who later dropped out of the movie, citing a scheduling conflict that enraged E.L. James, she scrapped the script. Dakota added that she was 23 at the time, so she did feel scared and said that there were a lot of disagreements and till today she has not been able to talk about it truthfully because there are people involved but they want to promote the movie in the right way.
The Lost Daughter actress stated that even after a lot of problems, she is proud of the way she made it as a final product because she believes that everything turns out the way it’s supposed to be but added that it was tricky. Charlie Hunnam was finally replaced by actor Jamie Dornan and along with Sam Taylor-Johnson, the first film’s director, the trio tried to salvage some of Marber’s script.
Dakota stated that they would shoot the takes for the film that the author (Erika) envisioned before shooting the takes for their film. She stated that she would recreate sequences with the original dialogue the previous evening so she could add a line or two here and there. All the time, everything seemed chaotic. According to her, the discussion between Anastasia and Christian outlining her sexual contract is the only Marber sequence that was included in the first movie. According to Dakota, it's the finest scene in the entire picture.
When asked if she regrets playing the role in the movie, Dakota Johnson responded, "No," adding that she doesn't think it's something to regret and that, if she had realized what it would be like at the time, she doesn't think anybody would've done it. Although Dakota admitted that others might have thought, "Oh, this is insane," she said that she did not regret doing it. The actress was also questioned on the many reports that originated from the set at the time and that frequently included a rumored conflict between Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson.
During the interview, Dakota Johnson emphasized that there was never a moment when they didn't get along. She also stated that she understood that it was strange but that he was like a brother to her and that she loved him a great deal. The actress revealed that they had been doing the oddest things for years and needed to be a team, adding that they had to trust and defend one another to make things work on-screen.
Dakota Johnson also mentioned that James Foley was hired to direct the film when Sam Taylor-Johnson left after the first one. James Foley is an unusual individual, and as a woman, she gave a gentler viewpoint. The actress claimed that there was a distinct feeling while doing those odd actions with a male in front of the camera. Dakota Johnson acknowledged that there are certain things she still can't discuss because she doesn't want to harm anyone's reputation or career, but she insisted that both she and Jamie received good treatment.
She is appreciative that Erika wanted her to participate in those movies since she is a lovely person and was always polite to her. In the end, she concluded that the movie was fantastic for both hers and Jamie Dornan's careers and that a lot of good things occurred as a result. She feels extremely happy, very lucky, but laughed that it was strange. So strange.
