Hang onto your silk tie! E.L. James’ record-breaking erotic love story, Fifty Shades of Grey, makes its big-screen debut, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, on Valentine’s Day. But while the best-selling tale of romance and bondage is expected to dominate the box office, Star has learned that the real “shade” happened off camera! Click through the gallery for all the behind-the-scenes-scoop:
He’s sure to break hearts as Christian Grey, but Jamie Dornan nearly broke the film’s budget by failing to memorize his lines. “The director would have to keep yelling, ‘Cut!’ and even the crew would get extremely frustrated,” says a movie source. “Sometimes they’d be filming until 4:00 a.m., all because of Jamie.”
Rita Ora was in the throes of a painful breakup with Calvin Harris while shooting her scenes as Mia — which meant breaking out the concealer. “She cried in her trailer for hours,” explains a source. “Her eyes were always puffy.”
Just before filming began, director Sam Taylor-Johnson was stunned to see a petition — signed by 92,236 outraged fans, who wanted her to recast the movie with Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel. “The producers were worried about backlash,” dishes the source. “But they decided that Jamie and Dakota were best for the parts.”
Who took the award for biggest off-camera flirt? Eloise Mumford, who played Anastasia’s roommate, Kate, was the star of the film as far as male crew members were concerned. “She would crack jokes with all the men and made them feel like they were special,” the source says. “She’d do this little giggle and hair flip — all the guys loved it!”
Initially cast as Christian, Charlie Hunnam blamed scheduling conflicts on his decision to pull out before shooting began. But the real reason, as Star has learned, was the producers’ shallow pockets. “They couldn’t agree on a salary,” the source reveals, “It’s that simple.”
Dakota and Jamie’s bedroom moves were so acrobatic, they actually required an on-set trainer! “The trainer’s job was to make sure both of them were as flexible as possible,” the insider shares. “It was extremely important that no one pulled any muscles or hurt themselves.” But even with expert spotting, the source adds, Dakota, “actually had to ice her legs because they were so worn out from the positions she had to hold.” Ouch!
She plays angelic Anastasia in the film, but behind the scenes, Dakota Johnson was downright devilish. “She’s a gossip and would purposely pit people against each other,” says a source. “She told a makeup artist that a stylist didn’t like her work and it caused a huge fight.”
The actress also proved ot be quite the diva when it came to the film’s wardrobe. “The clothes weren’t at all like they were described in the book,” the source dishes. “Dakota would get in blowout fights about it. One time, she was so frustrated, she threw a pair of shoes at the wall.”
Dakota also warned security guards not to allow her parents, Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, on set. “The last thing she wanted was her mom and dad to see her straddling a guy while nearly naked!” the source explains. And really, we can’t say we blame her!