‘Fifty Shades was painful, I would be mad to do it again’
THE director of the first Fifty Shades of Grey film has said that “with the benefit of hindsight” she would not repeat the experience because of her struggles with the erotic novel’s author.
Sam Taylor-johnson, 50, was hired for the 2013 adaptation of EL James’s book after several directors, including Stephen Soderbergh and Bill Condon, were initially tied to the project.
The artist-turned-director has said that she is “proud” of the film, which earned £450million at the box office, and described it as “dirty but classy”, but has now said she thinks it would be “mad” to go through the process again.
“I can never say I regret it because that would just finish me off,” she told The Sunday Times magazine. “With the benefit of hindsight would I go through it again? Of course I wouldn’t. I’d be mad.”
Taylor-johnson said the film was “a struggle” because she and James had “lots of on-set tête-à-têtes, with me trying to bat it into the [right] place”.
She said she was confused by James’s dislike of her. “I like everyone, and I get confused when they don’t like me,” she said. “I was so confused by EL James. I don’t understand when I can’t navigate a person, when there’s no synergy.”
Tensions emerged after James sought unprecedented control over the film. James and Taylor-johnson also clashed over the film’s sex scenes.