Fifty Shades of Grey tampon scene not in the movie, says film's director
Notorious scene was never even shot, says director Sam Taylor-Johnson
The notorious tampon removal scene was one of the most infamous in E.L. James's erotic book, Fifty Shades of Grey, but fans shouldn't expect to see it on the big screen.
In fact, according to the film's director, the explicit moment was never even shot for the movie.
"It was never even discussed," Sam Taylor-Johnson told Variety.
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The film, like the book, tracks the seduction and evolving relationship between the virginal Anastasia Steele, an English Literature University Student, and Christian Grey, a billionaire with a need for dominance in the boardroom and the bedroom.
From the page to the screen
Fans and industry watchers are keen to see how the filmmakers, including Taylor-Johnson and the cast of relative newcomers— Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia—handle the graphic sexual content of the novel.
Taylor-Johnson explained that early drafts by screenwriter Kelly Marcel were given several rewrites to tone down explicit content and balance sex with romance.
"I'd say it's pretty 50/50," said Taylor-Johnson. "I think the sex scenes are integral to the story. They are not gratuitous."
Keeping it cleaner
Toning down the sex scenes helped the film's producers avoid the dreaded NC-17 rating — a serious restriction that means no one under the age of 18 is permitted into U.S. theatres, even with an adult.
Instead, Fifty Shades is rated R allowing those under 17 to see it with an adult.
In Canada, movies are rated by provincial agencies and different standards apply.
Fifty Shades of Grey arrives in theatres on Feb. 13.