The Hollywood Heartthrob Who Shot A Fifty Shades Of Grey Sex Scene For His Audition
Unless you're an A-lister, most actors have to audition for roles in Hollywood. And, depending on how high-profile the project is, some performers will get very creative to get an edge over the competition in order to land a coveted role.
In the case of the big-screen adaptation of author E.L. James' mega-bestselling "50 Shades of Grey" novels, "Magic Mike" heartthrob Alex Pettyfer proactively filmed a test scene from the book to express his interest in the major role of Christian Grey. Making the experience more unique, Gus Van Sant — who wanted to direct the adaptation — shot the unique audition with Pettyfer to pitch the pair to the adaptation's producers.
Van Sant spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the process of teaming up with Pettyfer to film the audition, confirming an 11-year-old rumor about the tape's existence in the process. Naturally, it incorporated one of the principal themes of the book. "It was one of the sex scenes. I thought it was a way to get the author [E.L. James] to see my enthusiasm," Van Sant told THR. "It's hard, in the ramp-up, to get people to understand where you're going if you actually make the movie. Some people make sizzle reels. That might've been more the way to go. But Alex Pettyfer really wanted to do it, so I thought, "We can just do a scene." And we did. And we showed them."
Van Sant can't recall who filmed the scene with Pettyfer
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.