Alex Pettyfer Filmed a Sex Scene to Try Out forFifty Shades of Grey, Reveals Gus Van Sant

Alex Pettyfer, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.Photo:Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicMagic MikestarAlex Pettyferwent the distance in his quest to star in theFifty Shades of Greyfranchise, according to directorGus Van Sant.In a recent interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, theGood Will Huntingfilmmaker, 71, recalled submitting a steamy scene he filmed with Pettyfer, 33, as a number of directors vied for the opportunity to direct the first movie in the series.“It was one of the sex scenes. I thought it was a way to get [author E.L. James] to see my enthusiasm,” Van Sant recalled of his pitch. “It’s hard, in the ramp-up, to get people to understand where you’re going if you actually make the movie.““Some people make sizzle reels. That might’ve been more the way to go. But Alex Pettyfer really wanted to do it, so I thought, ‘We can just do a scene,’ " he added. “And we did. And we showed them.“Gus Van Sant on Jan. 23, 2024.John Nacion/gettyThe Wrapreported on Van Sant and Pettyfer’s scene at the time, though neither Pettyfer nor Van Sant ultimately worked on theFifty Shadestrilogy. Sam Taylor-Johnson ultimately directed the firstFifty Shadesmovie, while James Foley directed its two sequels.Jamie Dornanultimately portrayed Christian Grey andDakota Johnsonstarred as lead character Anastasia Steele.While speaking withTHR, Van Sant said he could not recall the name of the actress who worked as Pettyfer’s scene partner in the scene they filmed.Van Sant was among a number of filmmakers who were in the running to direct the firstFifty Shadesmovie. In 2013,Varietyreported that Joe Wright, Patty Jenkins, Bill Condon, Bennett Miller and Steven Soderbergh were each considered to make the movie before the job fell to Taylor-Johnson, 56.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in Fifty Shades Darker.Doane Gregory/Universal PicturesFifty Shades of Greyearned $166 million at the domestic box office and $570 million worldwide upon its theatrical release on Feb. 11, 2015. The movie was the11th highest-grossing filmof that year globally;eachsequelalso generated more than $370 million at the worldwide box office.In the time since Van Sant’s brush withFifty Shades, the two-timeOscarnominee has made the moviesThe Sea of Trees(2015) andDon’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot(2018). He has also worked as a director on the Gucci miniseriesOuverture of Something that Never Ended(2020) and most recently on FX’sFeud: Capote Vs. The Swans.

Alex Pettyfer, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.Photo:Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Magic MikestarAlex Pettyferwent the distance in his quest to star in theFifty Shades of Greyfranchise, according to directorGus Van Sant.In a recent interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, theGood Will Huntingfilmmaker, 71, recalled submitting a steamy scene he filmed with Pettyfer, 33, as a number of directors vied for the opportunity to direct the first movie in the series.“It was one of the sex scenes. I thought it was a way to get [author E.L. James] to see my enthusiasm,” Van Sant recalled of his pitch. “It’s hard, in the ramp-up, to get people to understand where you’re going if you actually make the movie.““Some people make sizzle reels. That might’ve been more the way to go. But Alex Pettyfer really wanted to do it, so I thought, ‘We can just do a scene,’ " he added. “And we did. And we showed them.“Gus Van Sant on Jan. 23, 2024.John Nacion/gettyThe Wrapreported on Van Sant and Pettyfer’s scene at the time, though neither Pettyfer nor Van Sant ultimately worked on theFifty Shadestrilogy. Sam Taylor-Johnson ultimately directed the firstFifty Shadesmovie, while James Foley directed its two sequels.Jamie Dornanultimately portrayed Christian Grey andDakota Johnsonstarred as lead character Anastasia Steele.While speaking withTHR, Van Sant said he could not recall the name of the actress who worked as Pettyfer’s scene partner in the scene they filmed.Van Sant was among a number of filmmakers who were in the running to direct the firstFifty Shadesmovie. In 2013,Varietyreported that Joe Wright, Patty Jenkins, Bill Condon, Bennett Miller and Steven Soderbergh were each considered to make the movie before the job fell to Taylor-Johnson, 56.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in Fifty Shades Darker.Doane Gregory/Universal PicturesFifty Shades of Greyearned $166 million at the domestic box office and $570 million worldwide upon its theatrical release on Feb. 11, 2015. The movie was the11th highest-grossing filmof that year globally;eachsequelalso generated more than $370 million at the worldwide box office.In the time since Van Sant’s brush withFifty Shades, the two-timeOscarnominee has made the moviesThe Sea of Trees(2015) andDon’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot(2018). He has also worked as a director on the Gucci miniseriesOuverture of Something that Never Ended(2020) and most recently on FX’sFeud: Capote Vs. The Swans.

Magic MikestarAlex Pettyferwent the distance in his quest to star in theFifty Shades of Greyfranchise, according to directorGus Van Sant.

In a recent interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, theGood Will Huntingfilmmaker, 71, recalled submitting a steamy scene he filmed with Pettyfer, 33, as a number of directors vied for the opportunity to direct the first movie in the series.

“It was one of the sex scenes. I thought it was a way to get [author E.L. James] to see my enthusiasm,” Van Sant recalled of his pitch. “It’s hard, in the ramp-up, to get people to understand where you’re going if you actually make the movie.”

“Some people make sizzle reels. That might’ve been more the way to go. But Alex Pettyfer really wanted to do it, so I thought, ‘We can just do a scene,’ " he added. “And we did. And we showed them.”

Gus Van Sant on Jan. 23, 2024.John Nacion/getty

John Nacion/getty

The Wrapreported on Van Sant and Pettyfer’s scene at the time, though neither Pettyfer nor Van Sant ultimately worked on theFifty Shadestrilogy. Sam Taylor-Johnson ultimately directed the firstFifty Shadesmovie, while James Foley directed its two sequels.Jamie Dornanultimately portrayed Christian Grey andDakota Johnsonstarred as lead character Anastasia Steele.

While speaking withTHR, Van Sant said he could not recall the name of the actress who worked as Pettyfer’s scene partner in the scene they filmed.

Van Sant was among a number of filmmakers who were in the running to direct the firstFifty Shadesmovie. In 2013,Varietyreported that Joe Wright, Patty Jenkins, Bill Condon, Bennett Miller and Steven Soderbergh were each considered to make the movie before the job fell to Taylor-Johnson, 56.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in Fifty Shades Darker.Doane Gregory/Universal Pictures

Doane Gregory/Universal Pictures

Fifty Shades of Greyearned $166 million at the domestic box office and $570 million worldwide upon its theatrical release on Feb. 11, 2015. The movie was the11th highest-grossing filmof that year globally;eachsequelalso generated more than $370 million at the worldwide box office.

In the time since Van Sant’s brush withFifty Shades, the two-timeOscarnominee has made the moviesThe Sea of Trees(2015) andDon’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot(2018). He has also worked as a director on the Gucci miniseriesOuverture of Something that Never Ended(2020) and most recently on FX’sFeud: Capote Vs. The Swans.

source: people.com