Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson’s On-Screen Chemistry in Fifty Shades of Grey
When it comes to such intense characters as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, it’s important to convey an incredible amount of chemistry. After all, anyone who has read the erotic romance novels were drawn to Christian’s fervor and mystique as well as Anastasia’s naivety and intrigue.
When Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson were announced to play the lead roles in Fifty Shades of Grey, everyone knew the importance of their chemistry. The entire casting crew knew that it was paramount, particularly with these characters that would find themselves in intense and personal scenes. Chemistry played a leading factor in casting and some actors who auditioned were turned down because they lacked the spark that was needed for the roll.
Fans’ opinions on the casting selection are skeptical at best, but early reports of filming were promising. Reports from the crew remarked Dornan and Dakota’s chemistry as titillating. The film’s producer, Michael De Luca, was the first to come forth, stating that their chemistry is very hot. In January, he stated that most of the sex scenes had been filmed and everything was going smoothly. Dornan and Johnson had both on screen and off screen chemistry. De Luca said, “The chemistry is there, they genuinely like each other. They’re enjoying the story, the story is so powerful.”
On the set, life seemed to be imitating art. It seems Christian’s domineering ways have rubbed off on Dornan a little as reports surfaced of Dornan being protective of Johnson. A source states, “[Dakota Johnson] is very friendly and talks to everyone [crew, security, etc.] Jamie stays to himself and does not talk much. Jamie thinks Dakota gets really distracted, because she is so nice to people and so he will walk over to who she is talking to and try and end the conversation. He is nice about it, but he does ask them to leave her alone.”
Not every report has been so positive, however. After testing some of the film’s footage on audiences over the summer, the cast and crew were spotted back in Vancouver to reshoot some of the more sultry scenes. One Hollywood insider stated that, “Dakota isn’t coming off sexy enough. Ana needs to be naive, not a dishrag. They want to do sequels, so this has to be perfect.”
A source from Universal Studios was quick to shoot the gossip down saying, “No one should question the heat or intensity of our actors.” A different source insists that the additional footage is simply filler. “They are still editing. They are happy so far with the way things are going. They are shooting fillers, having to add some more material. [E L James] did not feel there was enough, even though she is happy with everything so far,” says the insider.
Regardless of the rumors, there is a solid truth behind the awkward nature of filming sex scenes. “The reality of it is like, a burly man you don’t know very well three feet from your face [filming you], which isn’t how you usually have sex… Me, anyway,” Dornan explained during an interview.
While the film is meant to closely follow the book, some of the more intense scenes will be eliminated so that the film can maintain an R rating. There is some speculation that a NC-17 feature will be released additionally, but viewing would be limited based on theater availability.
