The talk around this Monday’s Fifty Shades of Grey castings haven’t been as heated as usual when it comes to big book-to-film adaptations, but even the haters of this story must admit that this is a career-changing and life-changing opportunity for the duo who were cast.

Take a look at Robert Pattinson and everything becomes clear. Dying at Lord Voldemort’s hands in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire wasn’t what made him famous. It was when he landed the lead role in Twilight that his career and life were changed for the better.

Fifty Shades of Grey will still try to capitalize on the huge audience that has been obsessed by the books. Even if you decide not to see Fifty Shades of Grey, a lot of people definitely will, and even you will know the actors that will become famous with it. That is more than enough to change the careers of the newly-announced lead roles, Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson. Let’s discuss this point a bit and try to predict how their lives will be changed by this turning point.

Dakota Johnson

Dakota Johnson is the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. Going beyond her parent’s fame is a challenging task, but Fifty Shades of Grey is definitely the kind of movie that should make her more famous than both of them. Her first grown-up screen role did draw attention to her, but let’s be honest: if you remember her from The Social Network, it’s probably for the cute Stanford underwear she was wearing in that scene.

No one knows what got her the role in Fifty Shades of Grey, but rumors say that it was all about the chemistry between she and Hunnam. Dakota Johnson has a lot to gain from this role. Anastasia is a character that everybody loves – she is a likable naïve girl that’s brought into the dark world of S&M. It’s a recipe for success that couldn’t fail. If Fifty Shades of Grey becomes a hit (which it probably will), she will be at least as famous as Kristen Stewart. She will also start getting the same amount of hate that Kristen gets, but that’s all part of the fame. If Fifty Shades of Grey ends up being a flop, the embarrassing scenes on YouTube will haunt her forever. It might not be that bad; after all we are talking about a girl who became recognized by showing her butt.

Charlie Hunnam

Unless you have been a fan of Queer as Folk (U.K.) or Sons of Anarchy, chances are the name Charlie Hunnam didn’t ring a bell for you before his role in Pacific Rim. In fact, many people still haven’t heard about him because he surely didn’t deliver a stellar performance in that movie. For the target group of Fifty Shades of Grey (the female audience), this actor is completely anonymous. This fact could either turn in his favor or hurt him.

The role of Christian Grey is pretty similar to Pattinson’s Edward Cullen – a sexually attractive, emotionally unavailable man. The director of Fifty Shades of Grey, Sam Taylor-Johnson, knows how to depict a man as sexy on screen, so Hunnam will get to be extremely sexy at the very least. However, trying to be sexy can also look ridiculous when you fail, which is why Hunnam’s career has two directions to go to after this movie. If Fifty Shades of Grey turns into a hit, Hunnam will have a chance to show an entirely new side of his acting.

Conclusion

Although Fifty Shades of Grey is eagerly expected by the audience, it still is a highly risky project for everyone involved in it, except for E.L. James, who has already benefited with millions from the franchise. By the time this movie hits the scene next summer, the buzz surrounding the books will be gone, which involves a large risk for its success. If we take a look from the other, optimistic side, Fifty Shades of Grey stands a chance to reach fame similar to Twilight or even greater, since it will lack the boring abstinence Twilight was known for.

Author byline:

Sandra Miller is a writer from New York. Writes her first book and learns the art of self publishing. Uses editing services Help.Plagtracker to improve her book and make it perfect. She has a PhD in English literature, NYU graduate.