Dakota Johnson has spoken about the making of Fifty Shades of Grey, saying it was "psychotic" and that she "signed up to do a very different version of the film we ended up making".
The American actress starred alongside Northern Irish star Jamie Dornan in the 2015 adaptation of author EL James' bestselling novel. They made two more films in the franchise, Fifty Shades Darker in 2017 and Fifty Shades Freed in 2018.
Speaking candidly to Vanity Fair, the 32-year-old Hollywood star said that "the author of the books", EL James, had her own vision of what the films should be.
"She had a lot of creative control, all day, every day, and she just demanded that certain things happen," Johnson told the magazine.
"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.
"When I auditioned for that movie, I read a monologue from Persona [the 1966 Ingmar Bergman film] and I was like, 'Oh, this is going to be really special'."
'Fifty Shades of Grey' turned Dakota Johnson into a globally known name—and her charming turn in Netflix’s ‘Persuasion’ will add still more fans to the club.
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) June 28, 2022
The actor, producer, and muse shares surprising truths about her rise in our latest cover story: https://t.co/IyaI8cLwFo pic.twitter.com/dR5EWZuuhB
Charlie Hunnam had originally been cast in the leading male role as Christian Grey. He ultimately dropped out of the project, citing a scheduling conflict, before being replaced by Dornan.
Johnson said that James was so angry over Hunnam's exit that she scrapped the script.
"It just became something crazy," she stated. "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."
Johnson continued: "We'd do the takes of the movie that Erika [James] 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."
When asked if she regretted making the films, Johnson replied: "No. I don't think it’s a matter of regret. If I had known...
"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."
The actress also addressed rumours that she had a rift with her co-star Dornan.
"There was never a time when we didn't get along," she said. "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.
"We were doing the weirdest things for years, and we needed to be a team: 'We're not doing that' or 'You can't do that camera angle'."
Johnson also told Vanity Fair that both she and Dornan "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," she added.
"Look, it was great for our careers. So amazing. So lucky. But it was weird. So, so weird."
