‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Cast release date set Feb. 2017; Dakota Johnson “blacked out” after promoting film

By Staff Writer | Jan 04, 2016 11:49 PM EST

'Fifty Shades Darker' lead actress Dakota Johnson revealed that she "blacked out" and "went into an emotional void" after promoting her first film 'Fifty Shades of Grey'. Emilia Clarke, who was considered for the role of Ana, revealed that she turned down the role because of the extreme nudity involved.

According to DNA, Johnson admitted that promoting the first film 'Fifty Shades of Grey' took its toll on her. She said, "It feels like a lifetime ago. I feel like I've been five different people since then. What did I do afterwards? I was working - I kept going. The night I hosted Saturday Night Live was the end of promoting the movie and then...I think I blacked it out. I went into an emotional void."

The 26-year old actress and model portrays lead protagonist Anastasia Steele in the live-action trilogy of E.L. James' bestselling erotic novels. She was first introduced as Ana in 2015's cinematic adaptation of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' with co-star Jamie Dornan as the young entrepreneur and titular character Christian Grey.

Johnson admitted during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres that nobody in her family saw the film - not even her own parents, actress Melanie Griffith and filmmaker Don Johnson. According to US Magazine, she said that principal photography for 'Fifty Shades Darker' will begin "sometime in the new year". She also confirmed that she was back to being single after splitting from rocker boyfriend and model Matthew Hitt of the Drowners.

The Hollywood rising star was chosen among a list of other potential actresses in the running to play Ana for the trilogy of films including Shailene Woodley of 'Divergent', Lucy Hale of 'Pretty Little Liars', Felicity Jones of 'Like Crazy', Imogen Poots of 'That Awkward Moment' and Emilia Clarke of 'Game of Thrones'.

Clarke specifically mentioned that the reason she didn't take the role was that there was too much nudity involved. According to Morning Ledger, the two-time Emmy-nominee said that she didn't want to be associated with nude roles since she already showed skin for several of her work including 'Game of Thrones'. The English actress is best known for her portrayal of the dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen in the highly popular HBO television series adapted from George R.R. Martin's bestselling fantasy novels.

'Fifty Shades Darker' is an upcoming an upcoming drama-romance film directed by James Foley. It is scheduled to be released on February 10, 2017 and is the second film in the trilogy adapted from E.L. James' erotic novels of the same name.

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