Highlights
- Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan formed a deep bond and remain close friends even after the Fifty Shades trilogy.
- The rumors of tension and dislike between the co-stars were false, as they had a strong professional relationship and constantly teased each other during promotional interviews.
- Despite their on-screen chemistry, Jamie Dornan was happily married during the filming and both actors were adamant that their relationship was strictly professional.
For a while, it seemed like it was impossible for Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan to escape one rumor or another. Now that a couple of years have gone by since the last film in the Fifty Shades trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed, premiered, it's easier to look at the actors and get a clearer sense of their real relationship.
Cast to play innocent but sexy Anastasia Steele and kinky Christian Grey, the characters at the heart of the Fifty Shades of Grey novel by E. L. James, Dakota and Jamie had to fight tabloids and Hollywood press to prove that they were just two very good actors doing their jobs.
From the way they made each other laugh constantly, to their deep, trusting bond, all the way to whether the two are even friends following their on-screen time together, here are some facts about Jamie and Dakota's real relationship.
Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan first teamed up to play Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey in the 2015 flick, Fifty Shades Of Grey. The two worked alongside each other for the two following films, which sparked a lot of rumors regarding their on and off-screen relationship. Despite being linked romantically, Jamie Dornan is a happily married man!
Dakota and Jamie had to share some rather steamy scenes, however after prepping for it in ways that made the situation the most comfortable, the two managed to keep things professional, all while developing an off-screen friendship unlike any other. While the two haven't seen each other since 2018, Dakota and Jamie reunited at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado in 2021, where they posed for a few pics, proving that they are still very close friends.
10 Did Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan Not Like Each Other?
Despite its sexy subject matter, or maybe because of it, Fifty Shades of Grey was, initially, not an easy movie to promote for Jamie and Dakota. As soon as photos of the press tour started to appear, people began commenting on their supposedly awkward body language.
All we can say is, try promoting a movie where you repeatedly have to talk about taking off your clothes, right next to your co-worker! Luckily, the rumors were just that, rumors! The two made it clear that they not only shared a very strong professional relationship, but they are also very close in real life.
9 Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan Gave Each Other Funny Gifts
Dakota gave Jamie a shirt that featured his lines spelled out phonetically in an American accent. Jamie framed a leather flogger and gifted it to Dakota. These are only a couple of examples of the presents that the co-stars gave each other over the years.
"He basically framed the flogger that he beat me with during the film," Dakota said of the special gift, and then added, in her characteristic deadpan humor, "And I was like, 'Thank you, this will go in my garage."
8 Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan's Chemistry Was So Good, They Were Also Rumored To Be Dating
Of course, as soon as the first movie in the Fifty Shades trilogy came out, stories about the co-stars also went in the other direction. After all, such hot on-screen chemistry could only be real-life lust, right?
The dating rumors persisted throughout the filming of the series, despite both Jamie and Dakota insisting in multiple interviews that they were just actors doing their jobs, which was being sexy on-screen!
Some fans have even made up rumors that he and Johnson have secret children together, and Dornan makes it clear that that couldn't be farther from the truth. However, it does appear that these wild rumors haven't gotten in the way of Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson's friendship, and the two still get along very well to this day.
7 Jamie Dornan Was Married When Filming Of The First Movie Started
In 2013, when Jamie was cast to play the dashing Christian Grey, he was already a happily married man. Jamie met his future wife, actress and musician Amelia Warner, in 2007. "I was smitten from the start," Jamie has lovingly said of meeting Amelia.
The couple married in 2012 and now have three girls together: Dulcie, Elva, and Alberta. While this might have made for an awkward situation between Dakota and Jamie's wife, the two are actually good friends! The duo spent some time hanging out together at the 2017 Oscars. Amelia has admitted, however, that she refuses to watch the Fifty Shades of Grey films, and for good reason.
6 Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan Tease Each Other During Interviews
While Anastasia and Christian's relationship was tense and hard at times, it was a completely different story for the real-life leads, who constantly teased and made fun of each other during their long promotional tours.
"Dakota, she's vain", said Jamie when asked who was "Most likely to be caught looking at themselves in the mirror". He said this during their hilarious MTV After Hours interview that had us all laughing, including Jamie and Dakota, too!
5 Jamie Dornan Tried To Make Dakota Johnson Laugh During More Difficult Scenes
Humor helped Jamie and Dakota to talk about their extremely racy scenes during promotional interviews. It also helped them during the actual shooting of some of those scenes.
As Jamie told Graham Norton during a hilarious interview, he would sometimes make funny noises at, how shall we say it, the key moments of the scenes, all in the name of making Dakota laugh!
4 Jamie Dornan Was Protective Of Dakota Johnson On Set
As Jamie explained in a Today interview, filming the Fifty Shades of Grey sex scenes was difficult, but especially so for Dakota, who was "literally in those scenarios for real, she's tied-up, she's exposed, she's naked."
"As the closest person to her I felt the need to throw a dressing gown over her [...] make sure everyone kept their distance for a while until she was comfortable. I'd be a pretty awful human being if I didn't do that," he stated in another interview. What a supportive gentleman and co-star.
3 Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan Prepared Differently To Shoot Their 'Fifty Shades' Romantic Scenes
"He does push-ups and I just, like, lay there and drink whiskey," Dakota joked to ET during the Fifty Shades Darker premiere in 2017. She repeated the sentiment in 2018, noting that while rigorous preparation and rehearsal was key, "if something is very, very difficult, it's sometimes necessary to have a shot of something strong beforehand.” We can't say we disagree!
2 Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan Continue To Support Each Other's Movies
Jamie and Dakota have kept very busy after Fifty Shades movies, so they don't always get the chance to hang out anymore. However, as Jamie showed at TIFF in 2019, where they both had films premiering, they will make time to support each other's films. “We saw each other earlier today," Jamie told reporters.
“I’ve already seen her, but I’m not going to get a chance to see it here sadly, so I’ll get a ticket like everyone else.” Considering the duo have remained friends since, they also have gone on to equate their friendship to that of being an "old married couple." Gotta love them!
1 A 'Fifty Shades' Reunion For Dakota Johnson And Jamie Dornan
Luckily for Fifty Shades Of Grey fans, the duo made an appearance at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado in 2021! This marks the first time Jamie and Dakota reunited since wrapping up their final film back in 2018. Fans were ecstatic to see the two together again, and it appears as if they are as close as they were when they were last seen together, making it clear their friendship is still very much intact.