andit’shelpfultohavefacedabitofrejection,
itgivesyouabetterideaofyourself.”
Whileonlyaluckyfewhavemanaged
to avoid theFifty Shadesphenomenon, it’s
worth remembering where it all started.
TheworkofBritishauthorELJames,itbegan
asfanfictionwritten about teen vampire
seriesTwilight.
Originally titledMaster of the Universe,
before being renamed, it was first published
as an e-book and then, as a print-on-demand
paperback. Almost instantly, it erupted.
Launchingtheso-called‘mommyporn’
genre,thenovelsbecameakindofHarry
Potterforsexuallyfrustratedhousewives–
selling125millioncopiesgloballyand
turningJamesintoaliterarystar.Then,in
2012, she was reportedly paid $6.7m for the
serialised film rights.
Noteveryonewasafan.Thebookswere
roundlycriticisedforclunkyproseand
awkwardturnsofphrase–“Ifeelthecolour
inmycheeksrisingagain.Imustbe the
colour ofThe Communist Manifesto.”
Reactionstothedebutfilmwereequally
mixed, with reviewers picking holes in both
performance and script.The New York Times
simply calledFifty Shadesa“terriblemovie”,
while the UK’sGuardianlamented the “tin-
earedprose”thatsurvivedthetransition
from book to screenplay. Not that such
critiques bothered Dornan.
“Ialwaysknewpeoplewouldhavealot
ofopinionsaboutit,andasmuchasithas
100millionfans,there’salotofpeoplewho
aren’t into it and are very vocal about that.
Yougoinknowingit’sadivisiveprojectand
youjustacceptthat–itdoesn’tstandalonein
thatrealm.ButIdon’tblamepeople.I’vegot
plenty of opinions about things I don’t know
alotabout,orthatIdon’tgiveachance–it’s
justthenatureofthebeast. I’m not going to
loseanysleepoverit.”
FiftyShadesDarkerpicksupwherethefirst
filmleftoff,withDakotaJohnsonreprising
herroleasAnastasiaSteele.She’sattempting
tomoveonfromherrelationshipwithGrey,
ashetriestorekindletheirromance–this
time allowing things to move forward on
Steele’s terms.
Last September, the trailer for Darker
broketherecordformostYouTubeviewsin
24 hours – dethroningStar Wars: The Force
Awakenswith 114 million in a day. It’s fair to
sayanticipationishigh.
“ThereareotherareasexploredaboutGrey
and his relationship,” says Dornan. “I knew
that would be the case with the sequels – we
gettoseedifferentsidesofhim.”
For fans, the MA15+ rating (R in the US)
promises no shortage of bedroom antics.
“It doesn’t feel like there’s as much sex as itlooksfromtheoutside,”saysDornan,
unconvincingly. “There’s certainly plenty
ofitandmorethananyjobI’veeverdone,
butDakotaandIareclose–wegetonwell
andmakeeachother laugh. I think that’s
really helpful.”
And reports suggesting Dornan isn’t
stickingaroundforthethirdinstalmentare
wrong–notleastbecauseFiftyShadesFreed
has already been filmed.
“That’sanexpensivemistake,”the
actor joked about the rumour he’d been
replaced with Ian Somerhalder (The Vampire
Diaries) during a November appearance on
Jimmy Kimmel Live! “But good luck to him –
he’ll be great!”
It’s not the first time casting rumours have
surrounded the series.Gossip Girl’s Chace
Crawford reportedly expressed interest in
originally playing Grey, before Charlie
Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy) landed the role,
only to drop out.
MeanwhileeveryonefromAliciaVikander
to Imogen Poots was rumoured to play
AnastasiaSteele,untilthennewcomer
Johnson landed the role. There was also talk
offrictionbetweenELJamesandBritish
director Sam Taylor-Johnson. And for
whatever reason, Taylor-Johnson’s no longer
on board – James Foley has taken over
directingdutiesforthenexttwoinstalments.
“Thecircumstancesofmedoingthefirst
movieweresoinsane–Ionlygotcastfive
weeksbeforewestartedshooting.Mywife
washeavilypregnantandwehadababythree
days before we started filming. It was fucking
madness, really,” says Dornan. “But it’s also
nice knowing the first movie made nearly[USD] $600m – that gives you some comfort
going forward.”
Though Dornan shrugs off suggestions
of superstardom, the films have turned him
intooneoftheworld’smostbankableactors.
And whileFifty Shadesgave him the freedom
to pursue smaller projects, he doesn’t buy into
the hype.
“Thethingis,thefundamentalsoflife
don’t change. I’ve had the same group of
matessinceIwasachildandmywifeandmy
kids and all that stuff doesn’t change. And
noneofthosepeoplewillletmechange,
unless they’re not very good people,” he says.
“But you see plenty of that in this industry –
thepeoplearoundyoufuckinglosetheplot
and you become a prick. I think I have great
people around me.”
HeownsahouseinruralEnglandand
avoids London if he can. It’s not so much the
fans,he’sjustnotonetocourtthespotlight.
“Somepeoplecanpeacocka little bit –
I’mnotoneofthosepeople.”
Dornan also avoids social media and
isn’t likely to ever be snapped tumbling out
ofanightclub.
“Bizarrely,somepeopledon’tfucking
understand that,” he says. “It’s part of this
nonsense celebrity culture and people reading
aloadofshitemagazines.Theybuildupthis
ideathatactorsareaweird,glossyversionof
themselveswholiveinsomecelebrityland.
But we’re really just normal fucking people
whoplaydressupforaliving.”
See, here’s the thing about Jamie Dornan –
he’snotChristianGrey.He’snotakinky
billionaireoracommitment-shycontrol
freak.Hemayhavefoundhimselfinoneof
thebiggestfilmfranchisestodate,buthe’s
alsoabusyfatheroftwowhotriestosteal
enough time to play a round of golf and grab
a couple of pints with his mates.
Just a regular guy, trapped in a movie
star’s body.
Fifty Shades Darker is in cinemas February 9“THERE’S
SO
MUCH
SCRUTINY AND FUCKING
CRAZINESS
SURROUNDING THIS
DORNAN WEARS NEIL BARRETT THROUGHOUT. SERIES OF FILMS.”