Fifty Shades of Grey (area).
That about sums up Jamie Dornan's mixed feelings about his well-known role as Christian Grey in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise.
"Are there jobs that I did that I wish maybe I hadn't done? Maybe, yeah, but probably not the one people are thinking," the actor told Esquire. "There's going to be defining moments, and there's going to be not regretful moments—It's just the tapestry of it all, isn't it?"
It's not the first time Jamie has gotten philosophical about the explosive three-film series. The movie—which also starred Dakota Johnson—landed itself the title one of the highest-grossing R-rated franchise of all-time after racking in more than $1 billion worldwide. In a November 2021 interview with British GQ, Jamie noted that despite the massive success in numbers, the way critics responded to the film didn't exactly convince Hollywood to take him seriously as an actor.
"Look, put it this way—It's done no harm to my career to be part of a movie franchise that has made more than $1 billion. Every working actor would say the same thing. It's provided – a lot," Jamie said, later adding, "But I take issue with the whole thing being just a bit of a joke. Everyone involved worked as hard as they could on those films, including myself."
Since his time played the mysterious Mr. Grey, Jamie has found himself in other successful projects, like recent Best Picture nominee Belfast. The actor noted that while he has moved forward in his career, there is a lingering association he holds with Fifty Shades of Grey.
"Whether A Private War, Anthropoid or Belfast, or whatever comes next, the line in the press is always, 'It's the best thing he's done since Fifty Shades,'" Jamie said. "As if I am still needing to prove myself."
The actor continued by explaining that the need to "prove" himself, pushes him to go onward.
"I am still paying penance for that choice to get me back to where I was beforehand," Jamie said. "Look, I get it, and to be honest with you, it spurs me on. It lights a fire in me. If that means people saying, 'Oh, actually he's not that bad,' well, so be it."