If you think the Fifty Shades franchise deserves all the credit for making BDSM mainstream, think again. Some of Hollywood's biggest stars have been tackling roles with onscreen BDSM for years. Here are 14 movies and TV shows that invited A-list actors to explore their own shades of grey/gray.
1. Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan: The 'Fifty Shades' trilogy
Of course we have to include it. Johnson and Dornan star in the film adaptation of the Fifty Shades trilogy, meaning they've engaged in lots of BDSM on screen.
2. Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader: 'Secretary'
Often heralded as one of the best BDSM films of all time, 2002's Secretary follows the relationship of a dominant boss and his submissive secretary. Coincidentally, the boss, played by Spader, is named Grey.
3. Keira Knightley and Michael Fassbender: 'A Dangerous Method'
The movie focuses on the affair between psychologist Carl Jung and Sabina Spielrein, who was initially a patient of Jung's and later became a physician herself (not to mention one of the first female psychoanalysts). The pair explore their sexual impulses, including bondage and spanking.
4. Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas: 'Basic Instinct'
The infamous leg-crossing scene gets all of the attention, but Stone's character Catherine Tramell is also very into bondage.
5. Kim Bassinger and Mickey Rourke: '9 1/2 Weeks'
This steamy '80s movie follows the dominant/submissive relationship between Mickey Rourke's John Gray (yes, another Mr. Gray) and Kim Basinger's Elizabeth McGraw.
6. Charlize Theron: 'Head in the Clouds'
Behold: Charlize Theron wielding a riding crop in a flapper dress for Head in the Clouds.
7. Paul Giamatti and Maggie Siff: 'Billions'
On Showtime's Billions, Paul Giamatti stars as Chuck Rhoades Jr., the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who enjoys a private BDSM relationship as his wife's (played by Maggie Siff) submissive.
8. Amy Landecker: 'Transparent'
In the second season of Amazon's hit Transparent, Sarah Pfefferman (played by Amy Landecker) begins a BDSM relationship with a dom called Pony.
9. Billie Piper: 'Secret Diary of A Call Girl'
Doctor Who star Billie Piper's turn as a dominatrix in ITV2's Secret Diary of A Call Girl is iconic.
10. Jennifer Lopez: 'The Cell'
In 2000's The Cell, Jennifer Lopez is bound by Pan in a trippy twist on BDSM.
11. Liv Tyler: 'One Night at McCool's'
Liv Tyler donned a tight PVC costume for her BDSM scene in the comedy, One Night at McCool's.
12. Gretchen Mol: 'The Notorious Bettie Page'
Gretchen Mol starred as pin-up girl Bettie Page in this biopic that also delved into her work posing for bondage shoots.
13. John Cho: 'House'
In a guest role on House, John Cho played a man who turns out to be the submissive in a dom-sub relationship with a dominatrix. It's a medical drama, so there aren't a lot of sexy scenes, but it does show how dom-sub relationships manifest outside of the bedroom.
14. Zoe Levin: 'Bonding'
Netflix's series Bonding was all about the life of a dominatrix-by-night/grad-student-by-day (Zoe Levin) and her friend/assistant (Brendan Scannell).
Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with more than 10 years of professional experience. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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