Jamie Dornan recalls going into hiding over negative 'Fifty Shades of Grey' reviews

Jamie Dornan is looking back on the "ridicule" he received over "Fifty Shades of Grey," which was so extreme that it led him to go into hiding.

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.

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"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 they'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.

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Dornan's former co-star Johnson has also spoken honestly about her experience making "Fifty Shades of Grey," telling Vanity Fair in 2022 that she "signed up to do a very different version of the film" than ended up being made. But like Dornan, Johnson said she doesn't "regret" the movies, even though making them was "psychotic."

Dornan also told BBC that like many actors, he is "massively" riddled with self-doubt. "I'm happier with my self-doubt because it always gives you something to try to prove," he said.