Director Sam Taylor-Johnson said that Fifty Shades of Gray was a ‘stain’ on her career and did not hesitate to leave.
It is known that the first part Fifty Shades of Gray (2015) was directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. The sequels Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and Fifty Shades Freed (2018) are both directed by James Foley.
Recently, when asked by Hollywood Reporter about the reason for leaving this money-making movie franchise, Sam Taylor-Johnson said: “I don’t get along with author E.L James. We have serious disagreements. We argued in every scene. She’s always like, “Fans like this better,” and I’m like, “Why don’t we try something new?”
Therefore, the 50-year-old female director has absolutely no regrets about “leaving her clothes” from the sequels. She believes that author E.L James is very dictatorial, always trying to control each scene of the movie to his liking. Even before the movie premiered in 2015, Sam Taylor-Johnson “ran away” by announcing his departure from the project and thanking Universal and the film crew.
Even when the second part comes out this year, Sam Taylor-Johnson doesn’t care. She shared: “I have no intention of watching. I’m not interested in that movie anymore.” And she asserted: “Don’t make me come back to direct the sequel, I’ll go crazy.”
Despite the conflict between the author and director during the making of the film, Fifty Shades of Gray became a box office blockbuster. With a production budget of only 40 million USD, the film earned nearly 600 million USD globally and continues to make money in the sequel, despite the merciless “bashing” of critics.
During the interview, Sam Taylor-Johnson also revealed the detractors of her marriage with handsome actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The two are 23 years apart and have two children together. However, the female director still confidently affirmed: “Our marriage has lasted longer than any couple I know. If I cared about the rumors of people around me, I wouldn’t be as happy as I am now.”
