In the end, Gus Van Sant’s and Alex Pettyfer’s aspirations to direct and star in 2015’s “50 Shades of Grey” fell short. The role of Christian Grey — a billionaire business magnate who has a penchant for sadism and masochism, among other dicey erotic practices — went to Jamie Dornan, while the directing gig ended up with Sam Taylor-Johnson.
The performer who stepped into the role of Grey’s lover, Anastasia Steele, for the audition didn’t make the final cut, either. “I forget her name,” Van Sant told THR. “Ugh! She’d been in ‘Nip/Tuck,’ I think. She had done some good work.”
The key role of Anastasia, of course, went to Dakota Johnson. As it turns out, her turn as Christian’s object of obsession is the role Johnson is the most embarrassed by. Coupled with the fact that “50 Shades of Grey” was lambasted by critics and audiences, it appears Van Sant and Pettyfer may have sidestepped a professional landmine.
On the flip side, “50 Shades of Grey” was a monster hit despite all of the negative publicity it attracted, earning $570.7 million at the global box office against a $40 million production budget. Along with the ticket sales for the other two “50 Shades of Grey” movies — 2017’s “50 Shades Darker” and 2018’s “50 Shades Free” — the trilogy made a whopping $1.3 billion against a combined $150 million budget.
