If you didn’t know it already, the Fifty Shades of Grey books actually began as fan fiction based on Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight books. Following the success of the Twilight franchise on the big screen, Universal adapted the trilogy with Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson as its stars. The Fifty Shades movies have come and gone, leaving Dornan with a similar feat Robert Pattinson had to deal with before him: making a career after becoming very well known and beloved for one, specific character.
Jamie Dornan’s latest role is in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, a black and white coming-of-age film about living in Northern Ireland in the ‘60s. It’s a critically-acclaimed movie and one of many impressive projects Dornan has booked since the last Fifty Shades movie came out in 2018. Recently, when speaking to The New York Times though, Dornan shared that he’s a little envious of how Pattinson has navigated it all for the past decade. In his words:
I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I feel like him and his people have played it really cleverly. Everything he’s done since Twilight has been really smart and beautifully crafted, and those films aren’t financed on his name had he not been in these movies that made billions of dollars.
As the actor points out, since starring in the five Twilight films, Robert Pattinson’s made a ton of small passion projects that seem really intentional and involve quality. Pattinson memorably starred in independent movies like Good Time, The Lighthouse and High Life, spending his time on more intimate projects years before returning to the blockbuster space. Just last year, Pattinson worked for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, his first big-budget movie in years, and his most high-profile movie is months away, as he’s the latest Bruce Wayne for next year’s The Batman.
Jamie Dornan isn’t one to hide how lucrative the Fifty Shades franchise was for him and his family. Recently, he shared that it has done “no harm” to his career and it’s “provided a lot” that he is grateful for. The franchise often is the butt of some jokes, but he takes issue with that sentiment, sharing that “everyone involved worked as hard as they could on those films.” Since saying goodbye to Christian Grey, Dornan has already starred in nine more movies, and they include Trolls World Tour, Robin Hood, Wild Mountain Thyme and Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar.
Robert Pattinson has a bit of a head start, and he does seem more honed in on arthouse films than Jamie Dornan, but I think both of these talented actors have really shown themselves to be incredible talents outside their famed romance roles. Belfast is now playing in theaters, socheck out CinemaBlend’s interviews with the cast, including Dornan.