Despite receiving mixed reviews from both critics and audiences, 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey was a commercial success. The movie featured Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in the lead role, however, before Dornan, there was another actor who bagged the role of Christian Grey.
Charlie Hunnam was all set to play the character, however, he backed out at the last minute, leaving Dornan only a few weeks to finalize the role. The actor had to consult a lot of friends and family members before accepting the role because it came with a lot of baggage, as per Dornan.
Jamie Dornan felt bad for Charlie Hunnam
Actor Charlie Hunnam was initially selected to play the role of Christian Grey in 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey. However, the actor left the project at the last minute, and actor Jamie Dornan took his place. Dornan recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused Podcast and explained what went through his head at the time,
“It wasn’t an instant yes by any means. It needed to be talked through. I sought counsel from friends, family, a lot of actors.” The actor further explained he felt relieved when he found out he replaced Hunnam “because I knew that guy is going to get wrecked here.”
The actor further revealed that he only had five weeks to decide if he wants to accept the role. So, he decided to consult his friends and family.
Jamie Dornan says the role came with baggage
Further in the interview, Dornan says that he knew the job wasn’t an easy one as it came with a lot of baggage and negativity from the critics,
“I knew that it came with all that baggage. That the reality was it would make a ton of money and the fans would love and the critics would despise it. That’s what happened with the books and that’s what we were making. We were staying truthful to the books, and we knew what that would be.”
Despite all the negative reviews, the Fifty Shades trilogy managed to gross over $1 billion at the global box office, making it the seventh highest-grossing R-rated franchise of all time.
Jamie Dornan says the film was made to cater to the fans
In 2021, Dornan claimed that the main point of the films was to earn money and cater to the fans of the novels. The actor said,
“The fans, for the most part, loved it and it made a ton of money. I think if everyone’s honest with themselves, that was the main two intentions going into it. We were aware that the critics probably weren’t going to love it because the critics did not love the books. I don’t know how we would’ve changed that when we were sticking so close to the books. But there’s no regret or anything.”
Without a doubt, the role made Dornan a household name all over the world. Some people appreciated the film’s attempt to bring the story to life, while others criticized its pace and portrayal of the complex relationship. Despite its flaws, the film proved to be a financial success.
Source: Happy Sad Confused Podcast
