Fifty Shades of Grey will not feature the polarizing period sex scene from the book when it hits theaters; in fact, it was never even written in the script.

Period Sex Scene Will Not Be In The Film

Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson recently revealed that the most talked-about scene in the book, in which Christian Grey pulls a tampon out of Anastasia Steele so that they can have sex while she’s on her period, was never even considered to be adapted for the screen. “It was never even discussed,” revealed Taylor-Johnson in a recent interview with Variety.

The tampon scene wasn’t the only sex scene cut or condensed for film. “On the early draft, there was a sense that there was way too much sex. The story, of course, is of equal importance. We tried to balance the narrative correctly, so one doesn’t feel like it’s drowning the other,” Taylor-Johnson added.

Fans of the sexy book series should be warned that screenwriter Kelly Marcel‘s adaptation will likely feature much less sex than the book, both in part to make the story work for film and to maintain an R-rating (as opposed to the dreaded NC-17). However, author E.L. James said that, ultimately, the core of the book is a love story, not a series of sex acts, and that the love story remains completely intact onscreen.

“People who haven’t read the books might be surprised that there isn’t more sex on the screen, but that’s because they’ve gone by media reports of Fifty Shades, which have tended to err on the side of the sensational. I’m pretty sure the millions of fans who have read the trilogy will think there is enough sex,” James explained.

When asked the ratio of sex-scenes to plot scenes, Taylor-Johnson said, “It’s pretty 50/50… I think the sex scenes are integral to the story. They are not gratuitous. It tracks the story.”

As has already been reported, Jamie Dornan, who plays the lead role of Christian Grey, won’t be doing any full-frontal nudity in the film, but that doesn’t mean audiences will be deprived of watching Christian Grey in action.

“The scene that we talked about a lot is the final scene, where Ana asks him to do the worst he can do to show her how bad it’s going to get. It’s the closes Christian comes in the first book to being his full dominant self. Jamie’s performance in that scene is a miracle. He really gets carried away in the moment,” teased producer Michael De Luca.

The Weeknd Releases Racy ‘Fifty Shades’ Music Video

Meanwhile, two newly released music videos for songs from the film’s soundtrack give fans some new, sexy footage to obsess over.

Ellie Goulding’s “Love Me Like You Do” video features new footage from the film, though most of it is very PG-13.

However, The Weeknd’s Taylor-Johnson directed video for “Earned It” features quite a bit more NSFW content. The video not only features a chorus of nearly-naked female dancers, but also displays Fifty Shades star Dakota Johnson, who plays Anastasia Steele in the film, appearing nearly-naked and tied up in ropes.

The racy shot was filmed specifically for the music video, and Johnson is mostly covered by the ropes, but it certainly foreshadows what’s to come once the feature film is finally released. Fifty Shades of Grey comes out on Feb. 13.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.