Summary
Curiously, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan don’t exactly match the ages of their characters inFifty Shades of Grey.Based onE.L. James' 2011 bookFifty Shades of Grey, the film revolves around a recent college graduate, Ana Steele (Johnson), who captures the attention of enigmatic businessman Christian Grey (Dornan).Both actors were well-suited and age-appropriate for their roles, aligning with the book characters' descriptions. However, determining their exact ages can be challenging without reference to the book, despite both characters celebrating birthdays during the series.
Both Dornan and Johnson had significant movie roles before the film, proving their experience in the industry despite being cast at a relatively young age. This background proved invaluable asthey navigated the film’s intense and explicit themeswithin its compressed timeline. TheentireFifty Shades of Greytrilogytakes place over a several-month span, plus a short epilogue inFifty Shades Freedthat takes place three years in the future. Despite critical reviews ofFifty Shades of Grey’s pacing and plot, Johnson and Dornan were appropriately cast, as demonstrated by the series' $1.3 billion box office total.
Where To Watch The Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie Trilogy
The 50 Shades Of Grey movie trilogy adapted the popular E.L. James novels — here’s where to watch them all right now.
Dakota Johnson Was 25 Years Old When Filming Fifty Shades Of Grey
Born: June 27, 2025
Dakota Johnson, born in 1989, was 25 years old when the first movie premiered.She was 24 during much of the filming, having been cast as Ana at the age of 23. In the first movie, Ana Steele was 21 years old, making Johnson’s casting age-appropriate. Much of her appeal to Christian revolves around her naivety, having just entered the adult world. In the sequel,Fifty Shades Darker,Johnson was 27 years old while continuing to play the 21-year-old Ana. In the third film,Fifty Shades Freed, Ana turned 22, and in the epilogue, she was presented as 25 years old, while Johnson herself was 28 during filming.
Jamie Dornan Was 32 Years Old when Filming Fifty Shades Of Grey
Born: August 10, 2025
Jamie Dornan, born in 1982, was 32 years old whenFifty Shades of Greypremiered.He was cast for the film at the age of 30, just three years older than Christian, who was 27 at the beginning of the series. Dornan was 34 years old during the filming ofFifty Shades Darkerwhen Christian’s 28th birthday occurred, his party becoming a significant plot point in the film. By the time of the third film,Fifty Shades Freed, released in 2018, Dornan was 35 years old, while Christian was still 28 years old, and later 31 in the epilogue.
Though Dornan was in his early 30s and in turn, a bit older than his book counterpart, the age difference wasn’t big enough to be viewed as easily noticeable. After all,the decision to cast both Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan had been carefully considered,as it was important for the film to be faithful to the characters as described in the books. And if the movies' box office numbers are any indication, it would seem thatFifty Shades of Greysucceeded in that regard.
