It’s been nearly a decade since Fifty Shades of Grey dominated headlines, broke box office records, and transformed Dakota Johnson into a global household name. But while fans swooned over her portrayal of Anastasia Steele and the sultry chemistry she shared with Jamie Dornan, fresh revelations suggest that Johnson’s relationship with the franchise wasn’t as smooth as it appeared. According to newly resurfaced insider accounts, Dakota Johnson seriously considered walking away from the role that defined her career—immediately after the very first film wrapped.
The claim has stunned fans who assumed Johnson was fully committed to the trilogy from the start. After all, she carried Anastasia through three films, each one hotter and more controversial than the last. But insiders now paint a different picture: the actress allegedly struggled so deeply with the pressures, restrictions, and intensity of the first movie that she quietly explored the possibility of exiting the franchise altogether. “She didn’t sign up for the chaos that came with it,” one source revealed. “The media attention, the constant scrutiny of her body, her relationships, her every move—it was overwhelming.”
The rumors align with past hints Johnson herself has dropped over the years. Though she has often spoken candidly about her gratitude for the role, she has also admitted that filming was far from glamorous. From the notoriously strict creative control exercised by the studio to constant disagreements over the tone of the story, the atmosphere was reportedly tense on set. One insider claimed that by the time the first film’s press tour began, Johnson was already exhausted and questioning whether the fame was worth the cost.
But what made her hesitate most, according to whispers, was the sense of being trapped. Walking away from a major franchise isn’t as simple as quitting a job. Contracts, penalties, and public perception can make such a move career-ending. “Dakota was stuck in an impossible situation,” another insider explained. “If she quit, she risked being blacklisted or sued. If she stayed, she had to survive years of intense public pressure.”
Adding fuel to the revelations are fan theories that certain moments from Johnson’s press appearances during that period were signs of her hidden discontent. Clips of her interviews, where she appeared visibly uncomfortable answering questions about the explicit nature of the films, have resurfaced on TikTok and X, with fans suggesting that she was quietly signaling her reluctance all along. “She looks miserable in some of those interviews,” one fan tweeted. “Now it makes sense why—she wanted out.”
Of course, Johnson ultimately did not quit, completing the trilogy and, in doing so, cementing her place in Hollywood history. Ironically, many now credit her ability to endure that pressure as the very thing that allowed her career to flourish afterward. From starring in critically acclaimed indies to joining big-budget films like Madame Web, Johnson has proven she is far more than Anastasia Steele. Yet, knowing she once considered leaving the role behind changes how fans view her journey.
For many, this revelation humanizes Johnson. “She was so young and thrust into the spotlight with something incredibly controversial,” a fan wrote in an online forum. “Of course she’d want to run. The fact that she didn’t says a lot about her strength.” Others, however, see it as another example of Hollywood’s relentless machine, forcing young actors to sacrifice personal comfort for commercial success.
Neither Johnson nor Universal Pictures has commented on the renewed speculation, but the timing of these whispers couldn’t be more intriguing. As Hollywood continues to reevaluate the treatment of actors in major franchises, Johnson’s rumored desire to quit Fifty Shades after just one movie could serve as a striking example of how easily the industry overlooks the human cost of global phenomena.
And while Anastasia Steele may forever be a defining role in her career, this new revelation reframes it entirely: not as a part Johnson embraced wholeheartedly, but as a challenge she endured—even when her first instinct was to walk away
