I a few months ago I had a good time seating down with actor Victor Rasuk to talk about his role in “Godzilla.” Our second conversation would focused on a very different -but equally powerful- creature, the film adaptation of the incredibly successful novel FIFTY SHADES OF GREY.

DH: When did you realize how popular FIFTY SHADES OF GREY was?

Rasuk: The first time I realized it was when I told my aunt and she went completely insane; there I realized this opportunity was going to be big.

DH: What was it like embodying the concept of your character?

Rasuk: It’s funny because I took the things we do in our everyday life; we can all relate to Jose one way or another. At one point you can say we’ve all had our heart broken, I felt the need to use that when given the part. Also, there were some things I could not relate with the character, such as being a photographer. I was able to do my homework by learning the use of a photography camera. I used a 35 mm camera and as I was learning, the camera started to become part of my arm and I loved it. That was one of the things I had to do physically, when I got the part in terms of portraying this passion. In general, I took the things we can relate to, we’ve all had our heart broken; it was just a matter of portraying it on camera.

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DH: How would you compare your character to other Latino characters?

Rasuk: I think it’s nice; sometimes Latinos are portrayed as cab drivers or janitors, or other titles in everyday life. Obviously we all want to have our people portrayed under the right light or even to have more camera time. When I found out I got the part I was super proud and dove into it and made sure that it flashed.

DH: What was working with Jamie Dornan like?

Rasuk: It was awesome working with Jamie. He came into this project as someone else fell out. He went in completely focused; he did not let that deter him or affect his performance which is great, and it’s great that the movie is coming out so that people can see that he did just as good a job as anyone else who would’ve gotten the part. His energy was not about being the new guy and taking it easy on him. He knew he was Christian Grey and no one was going to interfere. That energy was good because my character is suppose to be a little intimidated by him; I gave Jamie a lot of props for going in there and really owning the role.

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DH: Do you think that today’s public feels more comfortable going to theaters to enjoy a movie like hits in a social context?

Rasuk: I think so. People will get caught up in the eroticism of it. People have tastes in certain limits, in things they can and cannot watch, like I hate horror movies and I can’t watch them. One thing I can say is that I feel as if the film reveals universal themes like love and passion and I really think that’s something all people can relate to, even if they can’t handle the erotic part of it. Men and women can relate to Dakota’s journey; we’ve all dealt with a significant other who might be a little weird; I think in that sense people are ready to watch the film.

DH: You have mentioned that Dakota Johnson was going to surprise a lot of people, what was the main thing that surprised you about her?

Rasuk: I remember when I was on set I asked her if she was ready for the erotic scenes, she said: “Yes how ready can you be? You can never be too prepared, I got to go in there and hope for the best”, which I thought was super brave. What was cool was when she was in the red room as Anastasia, when the audience sees her reaction watching the red room for the first time. She purposely waited and didn’t go in earlier to look at the room. She mentioned when they were rolling that she wanted to catch this on camera; that is exactly what her initial reaction was going to be and I’ve always thought of her as a cool actress.

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Special thanks to Carlos Otero for his assistance in this story.