They played lovers in a movie franchise based on a series of hugely popular books about sex, so it's not all that surprising that some fans hoped Fifty Shades of Grey stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson had a real-life romance. But, some fans took that hope over the line, developing conspiracy theories that the two stars have been in a secret relationship for years and even secretly welcomed children together. In a new interview with The Independent, Dornan addressed those rumors and how fandom claims about him have impacted his life.
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"I tried to put walls up around [the fans], to really try and not let that in," Dornan told the outlet about the theories about him and Johnson. “I’m pretty good at just blocking any of the noise associated with whatever fandom is—not letting it affect me, or more importantly my family.”
The 41-year-old actor went on to explain, however, that the fame brought on by the Fifty Shades movies did invade his real life in some pretty scary ways.
"I’ve been involved in situations where it’s impacted my family. I had a situation... a stalker-type situation before Covid. That was [expletive] scary," Dornan said. "Someone turned up at my house when my kids were there. It was not something... The more I can block that out, the better it is for me and the family."
When the first Fifty Shades movie was released in 2015, Dornan had already been married to his wife, musician Amelia Warner, for two years. The couple have three children.
In 2020, Dornan told Variety about an invasive piece of mail a franchise fan had sent him: a collage of photos of a child he didn't know. "Someone saying that it was my kid, and my wife should know that I have this kid who’s seven years old," he said. "I think they were trying to say that the kid was mine and Dakota Johnson’s, and we’d had this baby while we made the first Fifty Shades movie. It piqued our interest, let’s say. It was a bit freaky."
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Dornan also discussed rumors about his personal life during a 2017 interview with The Telegraph. The newspaper reported that some claimed Dornan and Warner were divorcing and that she was suffering from depression because of the sex scenes he had to shoot for the films. The actor explained that his wife was supportive of his career but had chosen not to watch any Fifty Shades movies.
"The more public interest there is in you, the more horrible people become,” he said. “People start to say disgusting things about your family, about your children."
In addition to the conspiracies about Johnson and Dornan having an affair and/or secret family, there are also rumors that they hated each other while making the Fifty Shades series. Johnson addressed this in a 2022 interview with Vanity Fair. "There was never a time when we didn’t get along," the Persuasion star said. “I know it’s weird, but he’s like a brother to me. I love him so, so, so much. And we were really there for each other. We had to really trust each other and protect each other."
Similarly, Dornan told Entertainment Tonightat the premiere of the second movie, Fifty Shades Darker, in 2017, "I was only cast five weeks before we started filming the first movie, and that's when I met Dakota for the first time. [Now] it's been three years, [and] Dakota and I are very close. We've got a great sort of love and respect for each other. We're great friends and I think that makes it easier, you know? So it's definitely more comfortable."
Speaking with The Independent recently, Dornan reflected on the frenzy created by the romance movies.
"There’s never going to be anything like Fifty Shades again. It felt very much like its own thing, particularly because it focused in and around sex," the Belfast star said. "But there are obviously other jobs that bring insane scrutiny, like superhero stuff, or [expletive] James Bond—any of that stuff. I’ve done pretty well to avoid that sort of [expletive] so far." He added that he could see himself doing another high-profile movie or franchise in the future, but explained, "I’m also really happy with where I’m at right now. I can live a pretty normal life for the most part. I can sit on the tube and I’m fine."
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