Dakota Johnson playfully joked that she was going to leave the New York premiere of Verity on Tuesday as co-star Anne Hathaway directed photographers.
Heavily pregnant Hathaway, 43, took charge on the red carpet, enthusiastically shouting instructions to the paparazzi while posing with Johnson, 36, and their co-star Josh Hartnett, 48.
Hathaway directed her co-stars and the photographers to get the best shots from the red carpet, telling the paparazzi when the cast would be looking each way. While Hathaway shouted her instructions, Johnson performed a small jig on the spot before sweetly touching Hathaway's bump.
Red carpet directions
Hathaway then outlined the positioning for the gathered press. "OK everybody ready? We are going to start from the left and then we can make our way that way," Hathaway said.
Pointing emphatically, Hathaway added: "We are going to start here and then we are going to do what Josh said."
Johnson then chimed in, saying: "Then I'm going to leave."
While it was not clear what might have irked Johnson, she and Hathaway have forged a playful relationship after months of filming. The co-stars have often spoken about their close bond after months of filming, saying they had "great chemistry as friends on the set" of their new movie.
Hathaway, 43, is an Academy Award-winning actress known for her roles in films including The Devil Wears Prada and Les Misérables. Johnson, 36, gained global fame starring in the Fifty Shades film trilogy, while Hartnett, 48, recently appeared in the Oscar-winning historical drama Oppenheimer.
On-screen chemistry
The steamy film features a lot of kissing across the main trio, including an ultimately improvised make-out between Hathaway and Johnson that was featured in the trailer for the movie.
Hathaway recently joked with Extra TV regarding the experience, saying: "It's a miracle nobody got sick." Johnson expressed similar fondness for her co-star, stating she would "kiss Hathaway for the rest of her life if possible."
Hathaway and Johnson brought a serious dose of glamour to AMC Lincoln Square, a landmark movie theater complex on Manhattan's Upper West Side, for the New York premiere on Tuesday. The close friends appeared to have a blast at the event, sharing a sweet hug at one point while posing together on the red carpet.
Plot details and release
In the film adaptation, Hathaway stars as best-selling author Verity Crawford. Johnson plays Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer hired to complete the remaining books in Verity's successful series after a mysterious accident leaves the author debilitated, while Hartnett plays Verity's devoted husband Jeremy Crawford.
Once Lowen begins work at the couple's opulent estate, she discovers an unfinished manuscript that threatens to reveal dark secrets about Verity and her husband's pasts.
The young writer is forced to continue her work for Jeremy while trying to determine if the writings are merely fiction, or a disturbing warning from a dangerous woman.
The film is adapted from the popular thriller novel by Colleen Hoover, the best-selling American author behind several hit book-to-screen adaptations. Screenwriter Nick Antosca adapted the book for the screen, while Michael Showalter, who previously directed The Big Sick, served as director. Verity will be released in cinemas on October 2.
