‘Fifty Shades Of Grey' Director Sam Taylor-Johnson Reveals ‘On-Set Barneys' With Writer E.L. James
'Fifty Shades' Director Isn't Exactly Bezzies With E.L. James
Matt Bagwell— The Huffington Post UK
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‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, has revealed there’s no love lost between herself and the book’s author, E.L. James, after the pair clashed on the set of the much-hyped movie.
Sam has described having ‘proper on-set barneys’ with the writer over how the story should be represented on the big screen.
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Sam Taylor-Johnson
“It was difficult I’m not going to lie,” Sam told Porter magazine. “We definitely fought but they were creative fights and we would resolve them.
“We would have proper on-set barneys, and I’m not confrontational, but it was about finding a way between the two of us, satisfying her vision of what she’d written as well as my need to visualise this person on screen but, you know we got there.”
Despite settling their creative differences, Sam hinted that the pair aren’t friends, although she did reveal that Angelina Jolie, who was also in the frame to direct the movie of the best-selling novel, reached out to her when she got the job.
“‘I got an email out of the blue from her saying good luck on your journey,” she says. “I thought that was incredibly sweet of her.”
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EL James
Sam also explained why she was so keen to bring ‘Fifty Shades’ to the big screen, explaining she felt a ‘responsibility’ to portray the story in a certain light.
“When I decide I want something I go in like an Exocet missile,” she explained. “I just knew I wanted to make this film. I knew how it should be made, needed to be made, and I felt a certain responsibility to make it the right way.
“I felt it was an incredible story. It’s like a dark twisted fairy tale, very romantic and it was interesting how troubling it was, and how romance and the darkness interweaved."
Read the full interview with Sam Taylor-Johnson in the new issue of Porter magazine on sale globally from Friday 6 February. Also available as a digital edition or visit the iTunes store.
'Fifty Shades Of Grey': Everything You Need To Know
1. It's based on a book that you might well have heard of(01 of14)
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Simultaneously the fastest-selling book in UK history, while also being almost universally panned by critics for its seemingly terrible writing (apart from in the graphic, S&M-laden sex scenes, of course, which occur with staggering frequency, almost at the drop of a hat). (credit:Rex/London News Pictures)
2. Jamie Dornan is in it (in case that escaped your attention)(02 of14)
It's not all about Jamie Dornan, though, with Dakota Johnson playing the leading lady Anastasia Steele, who begins her 'Fifty Shades' journey as an awkward outsider and ends it a sex kitten.Spoiler. Alert.While our first taste of Dakota as Anastasia made her appear quite team, we got our first taste of the kinky side of her character when she appeared in a music video for The Weeknd wearing lingerie, rope and... well, that was about it actually. (credit:Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images)
4. It hits UK cinemas on 13 February(04 of14)
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As we're sure you might have noticed, that means it's out right in time for Valentine's Day, if you want to treat the one you love to an eye-opening cinematic experience.Whatever happened to a box of Milk Tray and some petrol station flowers, eh? (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
5. Other actors also make an appearance...(05 of14)
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Because two hours of non-stop handcuffing and cries of "oh my!" do not a film make, other stars have been drafted in to help carry the so-called "plot".Eloise Mumford takes on the role of Anastasia's best friend, Kate, while José, who fans of the book will remember as another of her love interests, is played by Victor Rasuk.
And not just any sex, either - in the first full trailer alone we see Anastasia blindfolded, tied to a bed and tickled with a riding crop. 'Snow White And The Seven Dwarves' this ain't.The film's sexual content has even earned it an '18' rating from the BBFC, which basically means it's adults-only, and therefore probably not for the faint-hearted. (credit:Warner Bros.)
8. ...but not as much nudity as you might like(08 of14)
True, when we think "jellyfish", the first thing we think of isn't exactly "erotica", but director Sam Taylor-Johnson has admitted that if she'd had her way there would have been a sex scene involving jellyfish, as part of one of Anastasia's dream sequences.However, this ended up not going ahead. She told The Guardian: "there was a scene when we go into Anastasia's world and her head, and we just had these jellyfish on the screen. It was beautiful, very impressionistic. Everyone went, 'What the f**k are those jellyfish doing there?'" (credit:YASSER AL-ZAYYAT via Getty Images)
10. Nor are there any tampons(10 of14)
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We were actually quite relieved to learn that one notorious moment from the 'Fifty Shades' novel - where Christian tugs on Anastasia's "blue string" before they get down to it - was not transferred to the big screen. (credit:Warner Bros.)
11. What it lacks in tampons it makes up for in great music...(11 of14)
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The 'Fifty Shades' soundtrack boasts some of the biggest names in music, including Ellie Goulding, Sia, The Rolling Stones and Jessie Ware.Beyoncé also recorded her debut solo single 'Crazy In Love' especially for the film, 10 years after its initial release. (credit:Jim McIsaac via Getty Images)
13. 'Fifty Shades' taught Jamie Dornan some new skills(12 of14)
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To prepare for the part of Christian Grey, Jamie Dornan says he visted sex dungeons to chat to real-life dominants about how he could portray the role as accurately as possible.He also became something of an expert at knot-tieing, which should come in handy if he ever fancies a change of career and decides to lead a troop of Cub Scouts. (credit:Warner Bros.)
14. There's even Oscar buzz!(13 of14)
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True, in the eyes of a lot of people 'Fifty Shades' is among the worst books ever written, but that doesn't mean the film adaptation needs to follow suit.In fact, screenwriter Kelly Marcel has even suggested that Jamie could bag an Academy Award for his portrayal of Christian Grey.Admittedly this might seem like an impossibility - but in a world where Rita Ora is literally performing at the Oscars, can you really write anything off anymore? (credit:Warner Bros)
15. Will 'Fifty Shades Darker' And 'Fifty Shades Freed' Be Getting The Film Treatment?(14 of14)
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The short answer is "no", but presumably if the first film is a hit with critics and audiences (hey, hey, hey - we said "if"!), then the following two installments could be next. (credit:SAUL LOEB via Getty Images)