The cast and crew behind 50 Shades of Grey likely knew long before finishing the films that they would be a massive hit. After all, the books themselves whipped readers into a frenzy, so there might have been some urgency behind turning the books into a three-movie set.
But according to the project's cast members, filming 50 Shades wasn't exactly what they expected, and it was sometimes hard to deal with. Even Jamie Dornan's wife was reluctant to watch scenes from the movie, but it wasn't necessarily the films' X-rated material that gave the actors pause. In fact, Dakota Johnson blamed the author of the series for the strain on set.
Dakota Johnson Thought She Knew What She Was Signing Up For
When she first heard about the 50 Shades trilogy, Dakota Johnson knew she was on board to bring the books to life. Calling the concept "really special," Johnson stated in an interview that it's just in her nature to be physical, and that's why she "did those big naked movies."
But as it turned out, the production team's vision was a bit different than the author's, leading to the trilogy morphing into something Dakota Johnson never really expected.
E.L. James, AKA Erika, wrote the 50 Shades series and exercised significant control over how the books were interpreted.
Dakota admitted, "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."
But she went on to explain that Erika wreaked havoc on set with her demands and that none of the team enjoyed the process.
The 50 Shades Of Grey Set Was A Confusing Place
Amid criticism of the film franchise, Dakota did acquiesce that "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."
But that didn't stop her from elaborating on the issues on set and saying in retrospect, if she had known what the project would become, she would have said no to the "psychotic" endeavor.
That's because the author "just demanded that certain things happen" and argued for the inclusion of many elements in the films that didn't translate well from the books.
Dakota called some of the inner dialogue "cheesy" and said it wouldn't do well as part of the film, but Erika would insist on those aspects being included anyway.
After a director change between the first and second films, plus script rewrites, there was only one scene that Dakota Johnson said was well-done, and it's because the books' author didn't mess with it.
Many scenes were rewritten, re-shot, and otherwise picked apart during the process, which turned out to be much more than anyone bargained for.
Even E.L. James herself said she had "such a miserable time" making the movies.
Charlie Hunnam Was Devastated Over Backing Out, But It Might Have Been For The Best
Ultimately, Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson led the 50 Shades franchise to great success. The movies were largely well-received by their intended audience, and the box office earnings weren't too shabby.
In fact, the first film grossed $569.7 million, while the second netted $381M and the third brought in $372M. The lead stars also earned accolades and plenty of media attention.
The missed earnings weren't necessarily what Charlie Hunnam lamented after withdrawing from the films, though; he worried about his reputation in Hollywood the most.
Hunnam famously backed out of working on Grey early on, leaving fans to wonder whether there was behind-the-scenes drama pushing his decision.
Now, knowing how filming went for the cast and crew, it seems Hunnam made the right decision, though it didn't seem that way at the time.
Charlie's issue with the project was that he had already committed to multiple projects around the same time, including Guillermo del Toro's Crimson Peak.
Charlie explained that people didn't understand why he bailed, with many assuming that he decided the content was too intense for him.
That wasn't so, he maintained, but instead he had other commitments he had to stick to, despite knowing how big 50 Shades could become (not to mention already was).
Hunnam labeled the "heartbreaking" decision the "most emotionally destructive and difficult thing that I’ve ever had to deal with professionally."
Of course, the films involved plenty of other intrigue, especially given its racy subject matter, plus an accusation that Dakota Johnson was grossly underpaid for her role in the franchise.
Plenty of fans also thought there must be more to Dakota and Jamie's relationship, despite the two maintaining that they were only friends—and amazingly good actors.
To date, no rumor has ever been proven, and the two remain on good (friendly) terms.
