Dakota Johnson's 'Fifty Shades' Pubic Hair Confession Clashes With Cinematographer's Claim It Was Added Later

Dakota Johnson says she did not want a merkin, a hairpiece used in nude scenes, when she first played Anastasia Steele (Credit: Quejaytee / CC BY 4.0)

Dakota Johnson says she grew her pubic hair to play Anastasia Steele in the first Fifty Shades of Grey film. She said Steele was supposed to have never had a wax, and that viewers saw Steele fully nude from the front. Johnson made the confession on Hot Ones Versus, a YouTube show, instead of eating a hot wing.

Johnson's account appears to conflict with what Seamus McGarvey, the film's cinematographer and head of the camera team, said in 2015. McGarvey said Johnson wore a patch over her groin and his team added the hair later, during editing. The film made $569.7 million (about £430 million) worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.