I’ve been steadily falling for Jamie Dornan ever since he admitted to kissing a horse, knowing full well he was highly allergic. It’s like some reverse Pepé Le Pew moment where he was smitten with the repellent partner. Then my emotions kicked up a notch when we learned he had to be hospitalized after being bitten by toxic Portuguese caterpillars during a golfing vacation. So while the rest of the world may be hung up on his heartthrob status or (underrated) acting chops, I’m waiting for word of Jamie’s next close encounter with the animal kind.

One aspect Jamie might appreciate about my peculiar focus on him is that I come to the table with no opinion on his role in the Fifty Shades franchise. Christian Grey seems to haunt him, as the part is addressed in basically every interview he gives. For those who need the refresher, the film came out in 2015. Jamie just appeared on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs podcast, and this time he talked about hiding out in the country when the bad movie reviews started pouring in:

During an episode of BBC Radio 4’s “Desert Island Discs” published Sunday, the actor revealed he “hid” as “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the film adaptation of E.L. James’ popular romance novel, was receiving an onslaught of negative reviews in 2015. Critics largely panned the movie, which earned a 25% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Amid this negativity, Dornan weathered the storm at director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s house.

“We went to Sam Taylor-Johnson and Aaron (Taylor-Johnson), her husband, their place, and they weren’t there,” he said. “They let us have their place in the country, and we sort of hid there for a while and shut ourselves off from the world for a bit.”

Despite the poor reviews, “Fifty Shades of Grey” was a hit at the box office, grossing over $500 million worldwide and leading to two sequels, released in 2017 and 2018. Dornan recalled it was a strange sensation for him to receive so much mockery for a movie that was also wildly successful.

“Then you’re like, ‘Alright, there’s a bit of ridicule here, and I’m now contractually doing two more of them,’” he said with a laugh. “And knowing that there’ll be much more of that damnation to come.”

But Dornan stressed that he doesn’t regret taking on the role of Christian Grey opposite Dakota Johnson, although he bemoaned that the role is still often brought up, even when he’s receiving positive reviews for other projects. “A lot of reviews are like, ‘He’s great, but lest we forget when he wasn’t great here,’” he joked.

Since the “Fifty Shades” trilogy ended, Dornan has gone on to star in numerous acclaimed projects, including Kenneth Branagh’s 2021 romantic drama “Belfast,” which was nominated for seven Academy Awards. He received a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor in 2022. In 2023, Dornan reunited with Branagh on the mystery “A Haunting in Venice,” which received mostly positive reviews.

[From USA Today]

I can’t tell if interviewers simply won’t stop bringing up Fifty Shades, or if it’s Jamie who feels compelled to apologize for it. For the rest of his life, it would seem. But he shouldn’t feel the need to go into witness protection for a film character! He’s said in the past that he’s still “paying penance” for playing Christian Grey, and to still be talking about it nearly 10 years later… Honey, stop punishing yourself! You need all your strength for when you cross paths with a moose who gives you hives! (I’m just spitballing here, surprise me with the next creature confrontation.) But Jamie has been candid lately about his self-doubt, and in another part of this podcast he said “I’m happier with my self-doubt because it always gives you something to try to prove.” Is this a sensible pep talk, or not giving yourself a break?

Side note: when the book Fifty Shades of Grey first came out my aunt warned us against it right away. “Not because of the p0rn. Because of the prose!”

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