‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Star Dakota Johnson Finds Humor In Explicit Role: ‘If You Can’t Laugh, You’re F—– Literally”

One of the great aspects of Dakota Johnson’s take on Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey is the ability of the actress to interject a little humor into the sometimes difficult part. Although the role certainly comes with a fair share of erotic awkwardness, Johnson recently told Elle that the humor of those situations is what makes her character relatable to the general audience.

<"I needed Anastasia to be funny. If you can't laugh during a movie like that, you're f-----. Literally," she stated. "You need to have something that everyone can relate to." In fact, it was this very ability to infuse humor into the role that helped land Johnson the part. "There had to be a sense of wide-eyed, excitable curiosity, but grounded in a worldliness," director Sam Taylor-Johnson explained in regards to casting Johnson for the role. "She had to have an inner strength that would carry her through the darkest of moments. I knew straightaway that Dakota was the girl." [caption id="attachment_2512993" align="alignnone" width="670"] Dakota Johnson admits that she has to find some humor in her explicit scenes in the Fifty Shades franchise. [Image via Universal Pictures][/caption]

Meanwhile, Johnson is set to reprise her role as Anastasia in the upcoming sequel Fifty Shades Darker. Although Taylor-Johnson will not be directing the movie, Johnson will be joined by her co-star Jamie Dornan as he returns as Christian Grey.

That being said, despite the fact that producers have hired a new director in James Foley (House of Cards) to helm the movie, there may be further delays threatening the film. According to Franchise Herald, an increase in pay for both Dornan and Johnson could slow down production to a halt.

“The word is that they’re asking for at least $20 million each, plus a percentage of the backend, which could be substantial if the next film is as big as the first,” an insider source revealed to OK! Magazine. “They’re indispensable to producers, and they know it!”

At the same time, this increase in salary has not been met with approval by producers, especially Dana Brunetti. In fact, in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Brunetti lashed out at actors who demand more money after a successful film.

“I still take reductions in my fees for the opportunities to do certain things. We got slack on Captain Phillips about how much Barkhad [Abdi] and those guys got paid. Look at Jonah Hill in Wolf of Wall Street. It was great for his career,” Brunetti stated. “So I’m not going to cry for anybody who wants to be in this business just because a thing they were involved in did very well and they didn’t get paid [a lot]. That’s not the deal that you made. If it was, I’d have more than a couple Ferraris because all the money my films have made is f**king insane. You’ve got to start somewhere.”

Does this mean that producers are not willing to meet the demands of a salary raise for Dornan and Johnson? Considering that the two made around $250,000 altogether for their role in the first film, some sort of raise is likely to be agreed upon. Whether or not this proves to further delay the production of the movie is yet to be seen.

Additionally, there are still a number of roles that have yet to be cast for the movie. With a casting director still not hired, it is anyone’s guess if filming for the sequel will start on schedule.

While everyone will have to wait until February 2017 to see Johnson in Fifty Shades Darker, the up and coming actress can be seen in her newest film, How to Be Single, which is scheduled to be released on February 12, 2016.

[Image via Universal Pictures]