Chuck Zlotnick/Universal PicturesEverybody remembers the feeling that emanated from the original Fifty Shades of Grey. It was cold, it was tense, it was oddly sterile. The sex scenes were kind of like watching Jamie Dornan perform a medical exam on a patient he wasn't remotely fond of.
But it was also...kind of enjoyable? Jamie Dornan is super hot and Dakota Johnson is both charming and far more intelligent than her character's novel counterpart. There were the occasional funny moments—especially when Anastasia's roommate, played by Eloise Mumford, was involved—and at the end of the day it's never going to not be fascinating watching two people debate the merits of sexual acts over a contract negotiation. So long story short, it's more fun for everybody if these movies are as good as they can be.
Which brings us to the sequels. Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed are currently being filmed back-to-back in Vancouver, which means all sorts of secrets and scenes are being leaked—all thanks to adoring fans flocking to set and the ever-faithful paparazzi. When the cast first reported we braced ourselves for more of the same: Passive-aggressive vibes and tight-lipped grimaces from both of the stars. So many grimaces!
But alas! The evidence is here and, after combing through every last frame, there are so many reasons to feel hopeful.
Let's look at the proof. Here we have Dornan and Johnson, a.k.a. Christian and Ana, playfully walking hand in (gasp!) marital hand. You'll note that in addition to the ominous ring situation (placed on That Hand, of course), Jamie is staring lovingly at our sweet Dakota. Okay, so maybe this gaze is veering more towards obsession than love, but still. It's a feeling! A happy feeling!
His look seems to say I can't believe I used to dislike having sex on you on camera; you're actually beautiful and you also just cracked a super witty joke. Her face, in turn, gives off a vibe of Yes, yes, I know I'm very charming and hilarious, not let's go over behind this bush and French a little (for practice of course).
And then we have this shot, in which they are attempting a recreation of Michelangelo's famous Creation of Adam. Except instead of Adam, they are creating hot, hot onscreen chemistry. Perhaps we are blinded by the bounciness of Dakota's fabulous curls, but it really seems like they want to be frolicking through those woods together. Dakota doesn't even care that she's about to run through wildlife while wearing a business suit—that's how into this scene they are.
For even more investigating, we have this shot of the two lovebirds crossing the street as lovebirds. Not only are they holding hands the serious-relationship way (interlocked fingers is sooo puppy love), but the spark between them has become so strong as to levitate this old time-y umbrella. 50 Shades of Grey Dakota and Jamie would never have been able to defy the laws of gravity the way that 50 Shades Darker Dakota and Jamie can.
And finally, there is this passionate embrace, captured on set last month. Our detective work is done, and we will leave you simply with this image and one word: Uggs. The ultimate sign of comfort between two (onscreen) lovers.
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