If you’re a dedicated Fifty Shades of Grey fan, you can probably name Christian Grey‘s favorite color along with Jamie Dornan‘s. You can probably quote 20 sexy lines from the books RN and you probably have read all the novels Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) talks about. But, you probably don’t know everything, especially about the movies.
You obviously don’t need reminding that Fifty Shades Freed is coming out February 2018. While there are a lot of teasers to get us excited (see: Ana’s wedding dress), there are still some interesting things about the first two movies, Fifty Shades and Fifty Shades Darker, that you may not have already been clued in on. Brush up your knowledge by clicking through the gallery to see 19 surprising things about the Fifty Shades of Grey films.
19. The first film was the sixth R-rated movie to make over $500 million worldwide.
You know that Fifty Shades of Grey has a massive following, whether you’re a fan of the books or not. No matter where you stand, you still might be surprised to hear that the first film made over $500 million worldwide. It made history when it grossed $502 million as of March 4, 2015, making it the sixth R-rated film to exceed $500 million worldwide. It joins the ranks alongside Terminator 2: Judgement Day, The Matrix Reloaded, Ted, The Hangover Part II ($586m) and The Passion of the Christ.
18. Jamie visited a sex dungeon to prepare for the role.
You’ve probably heard about some unusual things that actors do to prepare for their roles. Some go really extreme, but Jamie’s preparation to play Christian made sense for the character. To get ready for all of the Red Room of Pain stuff, Jamie revealed that he visited a sex dungeon in London. If you want specifics, he saw a dominant “have some fun” with his submissive. Hello. He told British GQ, it was “very playful and jovial.”
17. Lucy Hale auditioned to be Anastasia.
There were tons of rumors about the actresses who were going to be Anastasia Steele. There were some fan favorites and a few who admitted they auditioned. Lucy Hale revealed to Cosmopolitan in 2014 that she did audition and that she had to read some awkward AF lines. She may not have gotten the part, but it sure sounds like she has some funny memories.
16. Jamie drank five protein shakes a day as part of his Christian fitness routine.
Fun fact: When Jamie was a model, he was given the nickname “The Golden Torso” by The New York Times in 2006. His abs were just as, erm, golden in Fifty Shades of Grey thanks to his strict exercise and diet regimen. The 12-pack is partly from Jamie chugging five protein shakes a day. Plus, three-hour daily workouts and all of the sit-ups.
15. Dakota’s “pubic hair” was actually added in post-production.
You don’t need us to tell you that there is a significant amount of nudity in the Fifty Shades of Grey films. One thing to be aware of is that everything isn’t always as it seems. One major surprise was that Dakota actually wore a pubic patch while filming to preserve her modesty. The pubic hair we see in the first film was actually added during the editing process, hair by hair. Imagine if that was your job.
14. The Red Room scenes in the first movie were all shot last.
Sam Taylor-Johnson, the director of the first First Shades of Grey, waited to film the scenes in the Red Room of Pain until last so that Jamie and Dakota had time to get to know each other and get comfortable. It was definitely a good call considering that some of the scenes in there could be, ahem, intimate.
13. The tampon scene was never considered to be included in the first film.
Y’all know about the infamous tampon scene in the first book. There was a lot of discussion about whether it would be included in the film. Director Sam said that the scene was never considered to appear in the movie at all. It was one of the differences that separate the books and movies along with dropping the “inner goddess” stuff in the films.
12. Jamie’s wife hasn’t seen the films.
In September 2016, Jamie revealed on The Jonathan Ross Show that his wife, Amelia Warner, is one of the few people out there who hasn’t seen the first film. When people were surprised about it, he responded, “Why would she watch it?” That is a very good point. In case you’re wondering, Dakota also “banned” her parents from watching the films.
11. Dakota used a butt double.
Sorry, but that isn’t always Dakota’s butt. It has been reported that the actress has a butt double for some of the scenes, especially the ones that include some of the more intense whipping moments in the Red Room of Pain. A few takes wouldn’t be so bad, but imagine multiple ones. Ouch.
10. The props were real but modified to be less painful.
Yup, all of the props and toys that you see in Fifty Shades‘ Red Room of Pain are real. The key thing is that they’ve been adapted so they won’t be as painful to use during filming or they wouldn’t leave marks. It was reported that they were made with rabbit fur or softer leather so they wouldn’t irritate Dakota or any body doubles as much. Good move.
9. Dakota wasn’t sure if she wanted the role.
It’s hard to imagine any other actress playing Anastasia Steele, but Dakota was a bit intimidated by the material at first. She told ELLE in a 2014 interview, “I wasn’t very invested at first, just because I was a little scared of it. The material was intense, and I’ve never done anything like that before. But that just told me it was something I should do.”
8. Rita Ora was originally only supposed to be on the film’s soundtrack, but they liked her so she got the role of Mia.
Rita Ora originally got involved with Fifty Shades of Grey just for the soundtrack. Once the Fifty Shades of Grey peeps met with the singer, she ended up getting cast as Mia Grey, Christian’s sister. If you missed her in the film, it’s because she traded her signature long blonde hair for an edgy brunette bob. Plus, the Brit adopted an American accent.
7. Angelina Jolie was supposedly offered a chance to direct.
Bet you didn’t know this: It was reported that Angelina Jolie was actually offered the opportunity to direct the first Fifty Shades of Grey film, but she turned it down. She previously directed Blood and Honey and it was rumored in 2012 that she was going to direct the sexy film. When asked if it was true in an Entertainment Weekly interview, it was reported that Angelina went visibly red before talking about her previous directing and saying that she was looking forward to seeing what Sam would do.
6. Jamie wore a “penis pouch” while filming.
We’ve already told you about how Dakota preserved her modesty while filming. Jamie also didn’t go full-frontal in either of the films because of some strict contracts. *Sad face* In the naked scenes, he is actually wearing a penis pouch so he doesn’t reveal too much while filming. If you’re wondering what exactly a penis pouch is, it’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
5. Sam Taylor-Johnson wanted a sexy scene with jellyfish, but it got cut.
In an interview, Sam revealed that she was very upset that she had to cut out a sexy scene involving jellyfish. She explained that the cast went to an aquarium and, “There was a scene when we go into Anastasia’s world and her head, and we just had these jellyfish on the screen.” However, producers weren’t keen on the scene so it ended up on the cutting room floor. Boo.
4. There were some minor injuries while filming.
Thankfully, there weren’t any serious injuries when Jamie and Dakota were filming the Red Room of Pain scenes. When asked if anyone got hurt on set, director Sam said that Dakota did get a bit of rope burn. She told Elle, “I’d have to remind Jamie to hold back with the prop.” Oops.
3. Jamie had to learn a proper whipping technique.
Jamie said in interviews that he discovered that there is a proper whipping technique. He admitted to Variety that he wasn’t very good at the BDSM move at first. “There’s probably a technique to using a whip,” he said. “I wasn’t talented at it. But I got there in the end. It’s really like fly fishing.” That’s right, fly fishing.
2. Jamie and Dakota did push-ups before filming Fifty Shades Darker.
A lot of actors have some pregame rituals they rely on. Some go all method while others go to their trailers and meditate. In a USA Today interview, Jamie and Dakota revealed that their pregame ritual for the sex scenes involved doing push-ups. Dakota remarked that Jamie “did a lot of push-ups” while they were filming Fifty Shades Darker. We think it paid off, don’t you?
1. Jamie developed a new walk to play Christian.
Here’s proof that actors think about every detail of a character: Jamie normally walks on his toes rather than his heels, but he adapted his walk so it would be more like the confident, airplane-owning, piano-playing, millionaire Christian Grey is. Go on, we know you’re going to Google the differences between Jamie and Christian’s walks now.