Sam Taylor-Johnson: ''Fifty Shades of Grey was a rough ride'

29 June 2017

Sam Taylor-Johnson endured a "rough ride" creating 'Fifty Shades of Grey'.

Sam Taylor-Johnson

The 50-year-old filmmaker worked on the first instalment on the erotic franchise, but decided not to return to direct 'Fifty Shades Darker' because she felt she needed to "take a breather and refocus" after the production, as well as the reaction to the film adaptation of E. L. James' novel, "knocked" her.

She said: "It's no secret. ['Fifty Shades'] was a rough ride so I needed to take a breather and refocus because it knocked me off a bit."

And to "refocus" herself, the blonde-haired beauty has returned to the art studio and has started creating new masterpieces, before she signed up to create the new Netflix series 'Gypsy'.

She said: "I've been working in the studio making new artwork ... a whole new body of work, photography, collage.

"I have been trying to work on a new self-portrait series - they've always been about placing myself in a certain place in my life or my environment.

"And then [directing] 'Gypsy'."

However, Sam - who is married to actor Aaron-Taylor Johnson - has admitted she has had her "fair share of knocks", but each occasion has helped her to learn from her mistakes.

She explained: "I've had my fair share of knocks and getting back up again. It's processing what you've been through and making a plan of how you don't go through it again."

But regardless of the hurdles Sam has been faced with and has been forced to overcome her "heart" remains in the film industry, although juggling her career with family life is "not easy".

The creative mastermind - who has daughters Wylda, six, Romy, five, Jessie, 11, and Angelica, 20 - told Stylist magazine: "I feel like my heart is in film. I'm used to creating things that have a beginning, middle and end and here [with 'Gypsy'] it was just the beginning.

"But also doing 10 episodes and a year-long commitment is not easy to do with four kids."