In an interview with Marie Claire, Johnson shared that a scene from the final film, Fifty Shades Freed, was the most challenging one for her by far. In the scene, her character is handcuffed and blindfolded in Christian Grey's Red Room.
Johnson explained that despite rehearsing for the scene, the helplessness she felt during filming took her by surprise, making it tricky to navigate the scene.
Johnson also discussed the emotionally taxing nature of filming s*x scenes, explaining to Time in 2015 that they are not a sensual or pleasurable environment. She described a scene from the first film, Fifty Shades of Grey, where her character is hit with a flogger as another least favorite.
The actress explained that being physically restrained led to emotional stress as well, especially during that particular scene, which took hours to film.
Johnson also revealed that she wore a strapless thong during s*x scenes to have some sense of being covered, but it would often come off because the adhesive would wear out. She and co-star Jamie Dornan worked with experts to give an accurate representation of BDSM practices, which Johnson described as intricate and detailed.
Dornan also revealed in an interview with Glamour in 2015 that he found some of the Red Room scenes uncomfortable, and there were times when Johnson wasn't wearing much clothing, which made it difficult for him to film.
Despite the challenges, Johnson and Dornan had a trusting relationship that helped during filming. According to Johnson, the n*dity in the films became purely about the performance, with no clothes or jewelry to provide any clues about the story or social status.
