Dakota Johnson is setting the record straight about her time on the set of the Fifty Shades of Gray movies which were adapted from E.L. James Fifty Shades of Gray trilogy of books. The first film released in 2015 followed by the second film Fifty Shades Darker in 2017, and Fifty Shades Freed in 2018. Johnson, plays Anastasia Steele alongside Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey.
The actress spoke with Vanity Fair and reflected on her time shooting the series and butting heads with James who commanded full creative control that squashed any ideas or input.
“She had a lot of creative control, all day, every day, and she just demanded that certain things happen,” said the actress of the author, who was also one of the film’s producers. “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.”
Things were hectic on set to the point where Johnson would sometimes have to rewrite scenes for herself. “We’d do the takes of the movie that 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.”
She doesn’t have any regrets about the though situation: “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.”
Absolutely, I can provide a summary about Dakota Johnson’s experience filming “Fifty Shades of Gray” and working with E.L. James, avoid any external links.
Dakota Johnson, who played Anastasia Steele in the “Fifty Shades” trilogy, has spoken openly about the challenges of making the films. While the role launched her into international stardom, Johnson described the experience as “psychotic” and a constant “battle” due to creative differences with E.L. James, the author of the novels.
James, who maintains significant control over the adaptations, clashed with Johnson’s vision for the character. Johnson felt the film strayed significantly from the version she signed up for, particularly regarding the portrayal of the complex relationship between Anastasia and Christian Gray (played by Jamie Dornan).
specifically, Johnson points out the difficulty of translating the book’s inner monologues, which often ventures into cheesiness, into a believable on-screen performance. Additionally, creative control exerted by James allegedly resulted in a different film than what Johnson initially anticipated.
Despite the reported friction, Johnson has acknowledged James’ kindness and expressed gratitude for the opportunity. However, the experience has highlighted the complexities that can arise when authorial vision clashes with creative decisions during film adaptations.
