WHAT DO YOU HAVE THAT I DON’T?
News came much to the surprise of the Fifty Shades of Grey fandom today that a crucial member of the trilogy’s cast had finally been added. Bella Heathcote will play the strange, mentally ill and elusive Leila Williams, Christian Grey’s ex-submissive in both Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
Leila is a crucial part to the series and plays a very cryptic role. After finding a picture of her ex-dom and his new girlfriend at Ana’s graduation, Leila goes on the hunt for Ana, seeking answers as to what makes Ana different from Leila, and all the rest (of Christian’s past submissives.) As Christian has never publicly had a girlfriend before, only submissives, Leila’s interests are piqued and she sets out on a quest to confront Ana and Christian – but it gets creepy along the way. She stalks Christian’s apartment, watches them sleep and even pulls a gun on Ana. It’s a crucial moment in the story that leads to Christian breaking down, allowing his walls to crumble and finally letting Ana in. Without Leila, Christian may have never been forced to face his demons.
Heathcote is a popular actress who hails from down unda, Australia. Her work includes Dark Shadows opposite Johnny Depp and In Time opposite Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake. However, it was her work as Victoria Winters in Dark Shadows that proves she’s capable of taking on the challenging role of Williams. Her glassy blue eyes and pale, light skin are all attributes well associated with the delusional Leila. Fans have taken to the news extremely well, welcoming her into the #FiftyFamily and spreading nothing but positive feedback regarding the casting choice.
Fifty Shades Darker and Freed will film simultaneously in Vancouver, BC, Canada and for a few days in Paris, France beginning February 16th, 2016 through mid July 2016. Darker is slated to release on February 10th, 2017 while Freed will release just shy of a year later on February 9th, 2018.
