by Filming Challenges: The Difficulties of Adapting Fifty Shades of Grey
Adapting the wildly popular yet controversial Fifty Shades of Grey novels into a major motion picture was always going to be a challenging task. With its explicit sexual content and BDSM themes, translating E L James’ erotic story to the big screen in a way that was both true to the source material and palatable to mainstream audiences seemed nearly impossible. Indeed, reports from behind the scenes of the 2015 film adaptation indicate it was a difficult shoot for all involved, particularly director Sam Taylor-Johnson and lead actress Dakota Johnson. While the movie was a box office success, grossing over $570 million worldwide, its legacy has been marked by the creative and personal struggles faced during production.
Directing Difficulties
As the director handpicked by the author to helm the project, Sam Taylor-Johnson bore much of the pressure and responsibility for crafting a film version of Fifty Shades. However, she found her vision and authority challenged throughout the process. Taylor-Johnson has spoken openly about feeling she did not have full creative control over the movie, saying there were “so many voices” and she struggled to make it her own. Undoubtedly, author E L James’ influence loomed large as the creator and owner of the IP. James was heavily involved in the adaptation and reportedly did not always see eye-to-eye with Taylor-Johnson’s vision, which must have made directing difficult.
In interviews after the fact, Taylor-Johnson acknowledged the experience took an emotional toll. She said she found it “tough” to direct due to the lack of control and constant debates over decisions. This type of environment where the director does not have the final say can undermine their authority on set and diminish their ability to effectively lead the cast and crew in realizing a cohesive creative vision. For Taylor-Johnson, who had only directed two features prior, navigating the political landscape on such a high-profile production with competing agendas seems to have been stressful.
The director also faced challenges in translating the explicit source material to screen in a way that was both true to the story and books and palatable to moviegoing audiences. Scenes depicting BDSM and graphic sex acts pushed boundaries and required careful handling. Taylor-Johnson had to consider censorship issues, ratings restrictions, and offending viewers, all while staying faithful to the erotic themes and relationships at the heart of Fifty Shades. Balancing these considerations was no easy task and likely led to additional debates and difficulties finding consensus with the author and studio.
In the end, Taylor-Johnson expressed feeling she did not fully achieve her vision for the film due to the limitations and constraints of the production. For a director, not being able to fully execute and see one’s vision realized is extremely frustrating. The experience seemed to take a personal and professional toll on Taylor-Johnson, who revealed in later interviews that it took her four years to regain confidence in her abilities after Fifty Shades. Her struggle to find new directing work in the aftermath also suggests the challenges of that job may have damaged her reputation in the industry, at least temporarily.
Acting Challenges
While Dakota Johnson avoided many of the behind-the-scenes political battles as an actress, she still faced her own set of difficulties bringing the character of Anastasia Steele to life. Primarily, Johnson had to navigate the demanding role which required portraying graphic sex scenes, much of the story’s BDSM content, and the emotional complexities of Ana and Christian Grey’s relationship. Any actor would find such an intense part challenging both physically and emotionally.
Johnson has since reflected that filming those intimate scenes was “not pleasant” and felt “uncomfortable.” She also expressed finding Ana’s personality and the power dynamics with Christian difficult to understand at times. Additionally, as a young actress still early in her career, Johnson had to carefully consider how taking on such an explicit lead role might impact her future choices and typecasting.
Her worries proved prescient, as Johnson later said the success of Fifty Shades limited the kinds of parts she was offered for some time. Producers saw her primarily as Anastasia Steele and were reluctant to cast her in other genres or less sensational roles. Shaking that association required time and select projects that allowed Johnson to showcase her range, like her acclaimed role in The Lost Daughter. But in the immediate aftermath, the Fifty Shades association seemed to hinder her career growth and ability to take on new challenging parts, at least in her perception.
Box Office Success But Mixed Legacy
Despite the behind-the-scenes struggles, Fifty Shades of Grey was released to massive commercial success in February 2015. The film adaptation became the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time globally, raking in over $570 million at the worldwide box office. Its financial performance validated the decision to translate E L James’ bestselling books into a major motion picture event.
However, reviews were mixed and the film’s legacy remains complicated. While it satisfied fans of the novels and proved a phenomenon at cinemas, many critics panned its poor screenplay, thin characters, and soft-pedaling of the source material’s more taboo themes. Taylor-Johnson and Johnson’s careers were also impacted in different ways in the aftermath, as discussed, with the director struggling more than the breakout actress.
In retrospect, it seems the difficulties of filming Fifty Shades of Grey were a direct result of the ambitious yet fraught nature of the material itself. Adapting such an explicitly sexual story with competing creative visions and the weight of a global phenomenon placed immense pressure on those involved. While a financial success, the reported challenges endured by Taylor-Johnson in particular highlight how such a high-profile yet creatively stifled production took both a professional and personal toll. Both she and Dakota Johnson deserve credit for helping bring E L James’ controversial books to the screen, even if the experience proved a bumpy ride that left complex legacies for all involved.
