If you had any doubts about how passionate fans of '50 Shades of Grey' are, they've probably been allayed in the wake of the casting announcement for the film version of the novel. Angry fans have even taken to Change.org, an online platform for activist campaigns, to create petitions regarding the casting of Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam for the parts of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, respectively. Change.org hasn't been the only website for fans to express their dismay; reportedly, people have been expressing their strong opinions on Twitter, as well, even flooding producer Dana Brunetti's account with insults.
It's understandable that fans of '50 Shades of Grey' have strong preferences regarding who should play the lead characters in the film. Anyone who's ever been absorbed in a novel knows that a reader imagines the characters a certain way, and the fictional world can begin to feel real and important if people feel connected to the plot and the roles. However, I think Brunetti had an important message for fans when he tweeted about the backlash, and I hope people consider what he said. Casting decisions for films are business decisions, and they require availability and interest among myriad other factors in order to hire an actor for a role. It's not always possible to honor the requests of the general public, and who's to know if the producers got their first choices for the film's cast, anyway?
There's one additional factor I hope some people consider before making up their mind. The film franchise is an industry that is notoriously difficult to climb upward in, and there are so many people interested in having distinguished acting careers. Alexis Bledel and Matt Bomer are already very well-known in the film and television industry while Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam, although successful so far, are not quite as recognizable names. This may be the lucky break for both Johnson and Hunnam to reach global recognition if they show their talent and charisma in these roles.
I think these actors deserve the public's willingness to give them a shot. Hunnam has big names like Sons of Anarchy and Cold Mountain in his prior credits, and Johnson has been in 21 Jump Street, The Social Network, and The Office. These may not have been the names that we expected to see cast in 50 Shades of Grey, but these actors have not been picked out of complete obscurity. Even when that has been the case, there have been instances where those actors have excelled in the roles and achieved critical acclaim, like Gabourey Sidibe did with her first film, Precious, which was based on the novel 'Push.'
Perhaps Hunnam and Johnson will be able to change the public's mind if they dedicate themselves to this role. Even if it doesn't work out, I'm happy to hear that these two were given the opportunity to take their Hollywood careers to new heights.