Actor Samara Weaving, known for genre films such as The Babysitter and Ready or Not, has recalled an excruciating 2013 audition for Fifty Shades of Grey, in which she tried out for the role of Kate Kavanaugh. The story highlights an awkward early career moment for the actor, who at the time had not yet appeared in an American feature film and was still years away from the breakout roles that would establish her as a leading horror star.

Weaving explained that she was required to submit a self-tape of a sexually explicit scene involving two women discussing sleeping with men, but was staying in a small Australian town with only her parents available to read the other lines with her. Her mother could not bring herself to take part, while her father enthusiastically threw himself into the performance, prompting Weaving to ask him not to make eye contact with her while they got through it. She ultimately did not land the part, which went on to be filled in a franchise that grossed over half a billion dollars despite widespread critical panning, including several Razzie Awards.