Jamie Dornan Reflects on “Fifty Shades of Grey” Role and Critics’ Reception

Jamie Dornan, known for his portrayal of Christian Grey in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” film franchise, recently opened up about his decision to take on the controversial role and the mixed reactions it garnered. In a conversation on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Dornan acknowledged that his acceptance of the role wasn’t immediate due to the anticipated scrutiny from critics.

Dornan confessed, “I knew that it came with a lot of baggage. The reality was it was going to make a ton of money and fans were going to love it, and the critics were going to despise it because that’s exactly what happened with the books. And that’s what we were making.”

Starring alongside Dakota Johnson, Dornan played the lead role in the 2015 film “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and reprised the character in the subsequent sequels, “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed.” The film trilogy is an adaptation of E.L. James’ book series, which gained immense popularity upon its release between 2011 and 2012.

Interestingly, Dornan wasn’t initially cast as Christian Grey. The role was first given to Charlie Hunnam, known for his work in “Sons of Anarchy.” Dornan shared that losing out on the role to Hunnam initially brought him a sense of relief, as he predicted the immense attention and scrutiny that would come with it.

However, fate had other plans. Dornan explained, “And then suddenly there I was but with way less time to make a decision. I got cast five weeks before we started shooting. My wife was 35 weeks pregnant, we had a lot of massive decisions to make very quickly. It was a crazy time when I think about it.”

Despite his initial hesitation, Dornan eventually embraced the enthusiastic fanbase that surrounded the film series. He remarked, “We were staying very truthful to the books, so we knew what that was going to be, but I think movies that are made for the fans, that the fans love, can only be seen as a success.”

Indeed, the “Fifty Shades” films were commercially successful, although they faced harsh criticism from reviewers. The first film in the franchise, “Fifty Shades of Grey,” set box office records with its $81.6 million three-day opening weekend, becoming the highest-grossing film released on the combined Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day weekend in 2015.