Dakota Johnson says the making of 'Fifty Shades' was 'psychotic'

June 28 (UPI) -- Fifty Shades star Dakota Johnson says the making of the film series was a "psychotic" experience.

The 32-year-old actress discussed the challenges of filming the movies, including her issues with author E.L. James, in the July/August issue of Vanity Fair.

Johnson played Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and its sequels, Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and Fifty Shades Freed (2018). The films are based on James' erotic novels of the same name.

The franchise was critically panned but grossed over $1.32 billion worldwide.

In the interview, Johnson said the films turned out "very different" than she expected, due to the studio, directors and James.

"She had a lot of creative control, all day, every day, and she just demanded that certain things happen," Johnson said of James. "There were parts of the books that just wouldn't work in a movie, like the inner monologue, which was at times incredibly cheesy. It wouldn't work to say out loud. It was always a battle. Always."

Charlie Hunnam was originally to play Christian Grey but dropped out of the project, causing James to scrap playwright Patrick Marber's revised script.

"It just became something crazy. There were a lot of disagreements," Johnson said.

The actress said she's ultimately "proud" of the film series and doesn't regret starring in the franchise.

"If I had known at the time that's what it was going to be like, I don't think anyone would've done it. It would've been like, 'Oh, this is psychotic.' But no, I don't regret it," she said.

Johnson also denied reports of a feud with her Fifty Shades co-star Jamie Dornan, who replaced Hunnam as Christian.

Johnson will next star in a Netflix adaptation of the Jane Austen novel Persuasion. She is also attached to Sony's new Marvel film Madame Web, along with Emma Roberts and Sydney Sweeney.