Dakota Johnson revealed that Emily Blunt actually encouraged her to accept the role of Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey. The 2015 film was the movie adaptation of E.L. James’ controversial and bestselling erotic romance book series of the same title. It was soon followed by two sequels, 2017’s Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed in 2018. While the trilogy was mostly panned for its lackluster narrative, all three movies were massive commercial successes. Combined, the trilogy earned more than $1.3 billion at the box office worldwide.
Fifty Shades of Grey follows Johnson’s Anastasia as a college graduate who develops a relationship with a young business tycoon named Christian Grey (played by Jamie Dornan). While Christian seems like the perfect and charming man on the outside, the trilogy revolves around his dark past and fixation on sadomasochistic relationships. Johnson won the lead part over her contemporaries who auditioned for the role such as Lucy Hale, Elizabeth Olsen, Alicia Vikander, Felicity Jones, and Shailene Woodley. Other actresses who were reportedly considered for the role of Anastasia Steele include Emma Watson and Emilia Clarke.
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In a new interview for THR, Johnson revealed that she had serious apprehensions about being cast in the erotic drama for her breakthrough project. The 32-year-old actress shared that it was actually Emily Blunt who calmed her nerves and convinced her to say yes to the sexy role for the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. According to Johnson, the A Quiet Place star encouraged her to always “do it if it feels right.” Read her comments below:
I couldn’t talk about it to anybody. Nobody in my family knew. I was cast [and] I remember I spoke to Emily Blunt, and I was like, ‘Should I do this trilogy? Because I want to have a really special career, and I want to make a certain kind of film. And I know that this is going to change things.’ She was like, ‘Fucking do it if it feels right. Just do it. Always do what you want to do.’
