'Fifty Shades'' Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson on 'sexual acrobatics'

‘Fifty Shades’’ Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson on ‘sexual acrobatics’

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Johnson plays young college grad and bookworm Anastasia Steele. You might have also seen her in “Ben and Kate,” “The Five-Year Engagement,” “The Social Network,” and “Beastly.” (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Mumford plays young journalist and Anastasia Steele’s best friend and roommate, Kate Kavanaugh. You might have also seen her in TV series “Crash,” “Lone Star” and “The River.” (Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)

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Ora plays Christian Grey’s bubbly, adoptive sister Mia Grey. The British singer is best known for her vocal chops and had few acting credits to her name, save for an uncredited appearance in “Fast & Furious 6” and a cameo in “90210.” (Joel Ryan / Invision / Associated Press)

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Ehle plays Carla Steele, Anastasia’s mother. You might have also seen her in “Zero Dark Thirty,” “A Gifted Man,” “Contagion,” “The Ides of March,” “The Adjustment Bureau” and “The King’s Speech.” (Neilson Barnard / Getty Images for the New Yorker)

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Director Sam Taylor-Johnson has also done “Nowhere Boy” (2009) with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Kristin Scott Thomas. (Eamonn McCormack / Getty Images)

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Producer Dana Brunetti was nominated for an Oscar for “The Social Network” and executive-produced Netflix’s “House of Cards” and the 2010 film “Casino Jack,” both with Kevin Spacey. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images For TheWrap)

By Nardine SaadStaff Writer

July 25, 2014 11:50 AM PT

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson were slightly coy when they explained what went into filming their “Fifty Shades of Grey” sex scenes.

The actors, who make their breakout debut in the film adaptation of E.L. James’ bestselling erotic trilogy, spoke during a Vancouver, Canada, set visit with Natalie Morales of the “Today” show, which premiered the NSFW first trailer of the highly anticipated film on Thursday morning

By now, fans of the trilogy who’ve seen the trailer have revisited the lustiness they experienced while reading James’ novels, which started off as “Twilight” fan fiction and has since been dubbed “mommy porn.”

The steamy trailer ramped up the characters’ chemistry, relived their tense first meeting, saw Dornan’s Christian Grey take Johnson’s Anastasia Steele in an elevator and directly alluded to Christian’s erotic playroom (all while giving fans a generous helping of Christian’s abs and piercing stare).

So what was it like filming those racy sex scenes?

“The reality of it is like [there’s] a burly man you don’t know very well 3 feet from your face,” said Dornan, 32, a former Calvin Klein model who earned the nickname “golden torso.” “Which isn’t how you usually have sex — [not] me, anyway. I don’t know.”

“I do, a lot,” Johnson quipped.

“It’s more about visually what our bodies look like and what we’re doing,” said the 24-year-old daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson. “So it’s more of like a dance. It’s like acrobatics.”

“Sexual acrobatics,” Dornan offered.

Dornan, who has received praise for embodying the sexually charged billionaire after “Sons of Anarchy” star Charlie Hunnam dropped out of the role, said that he could see himself in Christian: “There’s always something about any character that you play that you’re drawn to because you feel that it relates to something within you.”

There’s been talk of “watering down” the book’s raunchy narratives in order to achieve an R rating rather than an NC-17. Though James, who’s been heavily involved in the film’s production, didn’t speak specifically about the rating, she did say this about those provocative liaisons: “It’s happening.”

“What I’ve seen hasn’t been particularly watered down, so, um, yeah ... I thought it was interesting! So that’s all I’ll say about that,” James added.

Meanwhile, Beyonce has recut her 2003 hit “Crazy in Love” for the film and teased to it on Monday, prior to the trailer’s release.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” will hit theaters on Valentine’s Day 2015. But we won’t judge you if you watch the trailer over and over till then.

I think I’ll see Mr. Grey now. Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.