Dakota Johnson Makes a Surprising ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Confession on ‘Hot Ones Versus’

More than a decade after it hit theaters, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ still has people talking. Dakota Johnson starred as Anastasia Steele opposite Jamie Dornan’s Christian Grey in the adaptation of E.L. James’ bestselling novel, launching a trilogy that became a major box office phenomenon.

Johnson has opened up about the experience many times since. She has told Vanity Fair that making the film involved constant creative battles with James, and back in 2018, she admitted that filming the trilogy’s intimate scenes took “serious psychological preparation,” speaking to ET.

Now the actress has shared a brand-new, and very unexpected, behind-the-scenes detail. During an appearance on ‘Hot Ones Versus‘, Johnson revealed that she grew out her body hair for the first ‘Fifty Shades’ film, choosing the confession over eating one of the show’s notoriously spicy wings.

The episode, released on October 6 on First We Feast’s YouTube channel, featured Johnson facing off against her ‘Verity’ co-star Josh Hartnett. Anne Hathaway served as referee, challenging the pair to either answer revealing questions or eat increasingly spicy wings.

Already overwhelmed by the heat, Johnson quickly opted to answer instead. She explained that for the first ‘Fifty Shades’ movie, she had frontal nudity and her character was meant to have never been waxed, so she chose not to remove her body hair.

Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett reveal the bizarre hair-related preparation they did for movie roles Dakota Johnson: "I grew my pubic hair for Fifty Shades. For the first one, I was full frontal and she was supposed to have never had a wax." Anne Hathaway: "And you didn’t want to use a merkin?" Dakota Johnson: "No." Josh Hartnett: "We did a movie called Blow Dry where Alan Rickman plays my dad. One of the competitions at the end, we had to cut Heidi Klum’s merkin. And I had to learn to be a hairdresser for that at Redken School of Hair Design."

— nuel (@c68ty) October 8, 2026

She also mentioned taking a similar approach for ‘Madame Web’. Hathaway and Hartnett burst into laughter at the candid answer. Johnson’s revelation adds a new layer to stories about the film’s production. Back in 2015, she joked that she’d had more waxing than any woman should during filming.

Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey previously said she wore a patch and that hair was added in post-production. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson also described carefully tracking the detail to stay faithful to the book.

Those accounts don’t fully explain how Johnson prepared, making her latest admission a surprising piece of trivia for fans. Johnson was 24 when she was cast as Anastasia Steele. She has said the book initially scared her, but that fear convinced her the role was something she should take on.

Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett star in an all-new trailer for #Verity. In theaters October 2. https://t.co/niq02J5nO5

— Rotten Tomatoes 🍅 (@RottenTomatoes) August 11, 2026

The franchise also had a complicated path to the screen. Johnson was originally set to star opposite Charlie Hunnam before he dropped out, with Dornan stepping into the role of Christian Grey.

The ‘Hot Ones’ appearance is part of the press tour for ‘Verity’, the Colleen Hoover adaptation starring Johnson, Hathaway and Hartnett. The thriller recently opened in theaters to around $32 million.

The episode also arrived just after Johnson turned 37. A teaser clip released on October 5 offered fans an early look at the now-viral moment. The confession quickly went viral, with many fans praising Johnson’s unfiltered honesty. Others joked that it was the most Dakota Johnson answer possible.

Some viewers noted that her willingness to share such details is part of what makes her interviews so entertaining. Either way, the moment has given the ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy yet another round of attention.

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