The defining role Emily Blunt convinced Dakota Johnson to accept
After E. L. James discovered the Twilight saga, she began writing her own questionable fan fiction inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s hugely successful vampire tale. Soon, this morphed into the erotic sensation Fifty Shades of Grey, which became an unexpected hit for the first-time writer.
The book was lapped up by audiences who were intrigued by the controversial novel, which was widely criticised for being terribly written. After all, James had no prior experience as an author. Despite the negativity surrounding the book, this only seemed to serve its commercial success. During the early 2010s, it was nearly impossible to avoid hearing people talk about the book, so it was hardly a surprise when it was transformed into a motion picture in 2015.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, the film grossed a whopping $569million worldwide, making it one of the biggest movies of the year. It spawned several sequels based on James’ subsequent novels, as well as shooting its stars, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, to greater fame.
Johnson, the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, seemed destined to follow in her parents’ footsteps; however, until this point, she had only landed supporting roles on screen. Some of her credits included small parts in The Social Network, 21 Jump Street and Beastly, with none of these doing much to establish her as a star.
However, when producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti, who worked on The Social Network, started thinking about casting for Fifty Shades of Grey, they remembered Johnson. For the first time, Johnson was offered a significant role, yet she was hesitant to star in such a risqué, erotic part.
Thus, she sought the advice of one of her friends, Emily Blunt. Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Johnson said, “I couldn’t talk about it to anybody. Nobody in my family knew.”
She continued, “ I remember I spoke to Emily Blunt, and I was like, ‘Should I do this trilogy?’” Johnson knew that the role could be potentially damaging to her reputation as a budding actor, and she wasn’t sure if she should risk it, stating that she wanted to have “a really special career”.
After talking to Blunt, she decided to go for it. Blunt’s advice was: “Fucking do it if it feels right. Just do it. Always do what you want to do.” Johnson went with her gut and starred in one of the 2010s’ most talked-about movies, albeit one that is widely slated as a truly terrible piece of cinema with few redeeming qualities.
Luckily for Johnson, she has managed to land roles in movies that have fared much better critically since then, from Suspiria to The Lost Daughter. However, it seems as though Johnson is currently experiencing a Fifty Shades-esque case of déjà vu with her newest project, Madame Web, which has been universally derided.
