Before Dakota Johnson landed the role, Lucy Hale was among the throngs of young actresses filmmakers who auditioned to play Anastasia Steele in “50 Shades of Grey,” and now the “Pretty Little Liars” star has spoken out about what the experience was like.
“Awkward,” is her one word answer to the initial question posed by MTV News.
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“It actually was just me [in the audition],” she continued. “It was a two-page monologue of exactly what you would think it would be. Very uncomfortable, but it was sort of one of those things where you just had to go for it or you’re just gonna look lame — hopefully, I didn’t look lame, but yeah. It was unlike any audition I have ever done before in my life.”
“Let’s just say I wouldn’t want my grandma watching this audition tape,” Hale went on to say. Even at that point in time, it seems filmmakers were keeping a tight lid on the movie. Hale says she auditioned with a scene that was either from a different movie or was written specifically for the audition.
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As for whether she really wanted to play Anastasia Steele? “Mainly, I was just interested in doing something risky and doing something a little different than my character on ‘PLL.’ So yeah, it took me out of my comfort zone.”
“Pretty Little Liars” is currently in the midst of its fifth season. “Fifty Shades of Grey” comes out on Feb. 13, 2015.