Taylor-Johnson: 50 Shades is a knife edge

Sam Taylor-Johnson feels like she needs to “get off and breathe” from the madness of 50 Shades of Grey.

The Nowhere Boy director is at the helm of the highly anticipated adaptation of the E.L. James novel which is due for release in time for Valentine’s Day. But the 47-year-old has found the whirlwind quite astounding, as she confessed to the March issue of Red magazine.

“I'm literally going out of my mind, I have seen this film over a thousand times and ... the nuances within – the tiniest shift, look, blink of an eye – can make all the difference and flip it into the wrong territory. It's like walking a knife edge,” she told the publication. “The moment I stepped out of the meeting, I stepped onto one of those bullet trains. The doors closed and I couldn't get off. The speed, the velocity, was unbelievable. I need to get off and breathe and think about something else.”

But she won’t get her wish just yet, as promotional duties for the movie have gone into top gear. However one person who has made the whole process easier is Jamie Dornan, who takes on the title role of Christian Grey.

“Jamie's funny because he doesn't seem to feel any of the pressure. Or show he feels it," she said. "Everything washes over him and he's constantly happy. He's such a sweet and lovely man."

Their bond came in handy when they had to carry out research for the steamy scenes required for the movie, which also stars Dakota Johnson. Both the director and the actor were keen to make sure they had all the facts straight before incorporating it into the film.

“Jamie and I had to sit and meet various dominants and dominatrix, just to make sure we understood that world; so that we in no way portrayed it incorrectly," she explained.