The Fifty Shades of Grey movies took the world by storm, transforming a niche novel series into a global sensation. Based on E.L. James’ bestselling novels, Fifty Shades of Grey featured Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steel and Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, which became a cultural phenomenon blending romance with erotic drama. The movie series not only launched Johnson and Dornan’s careers, but their on-screen chemistry is still lingering nearly a decade after its release. While their performances were central to the trilogy’s success, the R-rating movie franchise earned $1.32 billion worldwide. Fifty Shades of Grey followed its sequel, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
Though Dakota Johnson and Dornan’s complex and steamy performance in the movie did bring them the global spotlight, it wasn’t easy for them while filming. In a throwback interview with TODAY Show, Dornan and Johnson opened up about their steamy sex scenes in the movie. When the talk show host Natalie Morales asked the pair how they prepared while filming the intimate scenes, Johnson responded, “Jamie has a fluffer.”
Morales laughed and questioned, “What’s a fluffer?” while Jaime Dornan‘s face was embarrassed. Although he attempted to explain the term in a way suitable for television, Johnson later apologized for using the word. Dornan said, “It’s a worthy job, but we haven’t required one yet.”
In simple terms, a fluffer is someone employed in adult films to keep male performers aroused on set. Dornan anticipated Johnson would make a witty remark, but he didn’t expect it to throw him off. Furthermore, Johnson humorously confessed that she hadn’t realized the extent of the erotic scenes in the film and joked that she would have read the books beforehand. The movie featured sexual arts like BDSM and the use of sex toys.
In another throwback interview with ET Online, Johnson opened up about how she and Dornan used to prepare themselves for movie scenes. She said, “Shot of whiskey [and] mints. He does pushups, and I just lay there and drink whiskey.” On the other hand, Dornan added, “Dakota and I are very close. We’ve got a great sort of love and respect for each other. We’re great friends, and I think that makes it easier, you know? So it’s more comfortable.”
