Jamie Dornan on ‘Fifty Shades of Grey:’ ‘Love Story Is More Important Than the BDSM’

The film’s star tells Elle UK that the story between Christian and Anastasia is about more than what happens in the Red Room

Jamie Dornan appears in the Feb. 2015 issue of Elle UK (Jeff Hahn)
Jeff Hahn/Elle UK

Jamie Dornan wants moviegoers to know that “Fifty Shades of Grey” isn’t just a racy film about sex with whips and chains, but actually is a love story at its core.

“The love story is more important than the BDSM aspect. I mean, we are going to tell a love story, you know, it can’t just be what happens in the Red Room, that’s not a film. There’s so much more going on than that,” Dornan said in an interview with Elle UK.

Dornan plays the titular role of Christian Grey, a seductive businessman with a penchant for dark eroticism — in particular bondage, discipline, sadism and masochism — that attracts the naive Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson). But E.L. James‘ novel tells a deeper tale, the actor said.

Still, some critics are still calling the Universal film, due for Feb. 13 release, misogynistic. Morality in Media released a statement last summer describing the film as normalizing sexual violence and “even more dangerous, it also sends the message to women that they can ‘fix’ violent, controlling men by being obedient and loving.”

Dornan believes the opposite. TheWrap previously reported the actor visited a sex dungeon with “plenty of kink” in preparation for the role.

“I can understand why people say tying a woman up and spanking her is misogynistic. But actually, more men are submissives than women. Very powerful men. It’s a far bigger scene than I imagined: in pretty much any city in the world that you could name, people want to get spanked with a paddle with studs on it,” he said.

Dornan’s interview with Elle UK will be available in its February issue. Get a preview at elluk.com.

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