Sam Taylor-Johnson’s days of directing in the Fifty Shades franchise may be over, but it sounds like they’ll never be forgotten. In a new interview with the Sunday Times of London, Taylor-Johnson was asked to rehash her challenging on-set experience with author E.L. James while directing Fifty Shades of Grey in 2014. James managed to negotiate a large amount of control over the screen adaptation of her book series, and in short order became known for her heavy involvement in the movie’s creation. “It was a struggle and there were lots of onset tête-à-têtes, with me trying to bat it into the [right] place,” Taylor-Johnson explained, adding that she just could not find common ground with James, seemingly as a person or a collaborator. As a result, she’s happy now to stay as far away from the film franchise as possible. “I’m not going to ever watch them. I have literally zero interest,” she said before hedging around use of the term regret. “I can never say I regret it because that would just finish me off.” Given the chance to do it all over again would she make peace and maybe find a better way with James? Nah. “With the benefit of hindsight would I go through it again? Of course I wouldn’t. I’d be mad.”
